Time of Our Love
by mrs.salvatore39
Summary: When Klaus threatens to take Elena, Bonnie finds a spell that will send her back in time to a place where she is safe-her soul mate; 1864 human Damon. LEMON COMPLETE
1. The Beginning in the End

_a/n: i got this incredible request a few months ago but with the Christmas exchange and trying to finish 'Partners in Crime' I knew I wouldn't be able to focus on this properly, so I left it to be a project for the new year. I do hope that I do the idea justice. I hope that you all enjoy this. I will try and update as much as possible along with keeping up with my personal oneshots and requests. As for now, here we go. Straight into the action! _

_Dedicated to ReadingisPassion2 (for giving me her incredible idea and letting me run with it!)_

Chapter One-Goodbye & Hello

Boarding House-Present

Damon's eyes focused on Elena's face through the white haze of smoke that Bonnie had created with her spell. Klaus's hybrids were currently trying to break down the front door and he could hear the Original's calls through the creaking wood. He allowed himself to flash a glance at the witch, urging her to hurry up. Elena called his name, reached out her hand for him, suddenly desperate that he go back with her even after all her refusals to his previous. Bonnie chanted faster, her words no more than a rushed blur as she hurried the spell on. It seemed like all the warmth was sucked out of the room, a warm light glowing around Elena as he stepped closer to grasp her...but then she was gone in a flash.

He had a single moment to feel the sense of loss, feel the cold sink into his bones before the door came crashing down and Klaus stomped into the house, his army of hybrids behind him. "Where is she?"

Damon stepped protectively in front of Bonnie and the spot Elena had been standing on just a moment ago. "She's gone. You can't have her."

"Give her to me!" he advanced quickly, rushing across the room in a moment and closing his hand around Damon's neck. "Where did you send her?"

"Somewhere safe."

Klaus's eyes blazed fire and anger but he did nothing more than drop Damon to the ground. "I will find her, that's a promise."

With his hand massaging his throat, Damon looked up, watching the attack leave the house, but the damage already done. Elena was gone and he couldn't bring her back until this was all over, for good.

Three Days Ago...

"No." Damon paced angrily back and forth in front of the couch where Bonnie and Elena sat. What they were telling him was ridiculous, it would never work...and he wasn't sure that he could bare it anyway. "I won't let you do this."

Elena sighed, looking up at him. "I'll be safe Damon, the spell is good."

"I don't trust that. You don't even know where it's going to send you."

"It's going to send me back in time where I'm safe from Klaus." She purposefully left out the part that it would also send her to the arms of her true love. There was no reason to upset him with that.

"I don't like it." He stalked over to the bar and poured himself a glass of whiskey. "It's dangerous and stupid and doesn't even sound real."

"It's real Damon, so get used to the idea." Bonnie wasn't exactly Team Damon, but she wasn't going to jump up and down with pom poms for Klaus either. "I'm sending her back with or without your help."

"What do you need my help for?"

This was when the girls exchanged a look, almost quick enough to be undetected, but Damon still caught it. "We need a bit of your blood." Elena finally said. "To tie me to this time so the spell knows where to send me back once it's safe."

"As soon as Klaus is defeated, she will come back." Bonnie explained, waiting for the vampire to speak. It was really Elena that wanted his blessing.

"Fine." He looked down at the glass in his hand and drank it. "I'll help."

The next day, Damon allowed Bonnie to fill a vial of his blood, the witch and the vampire alone in the house. "How sure are you that this going to work?"

"Pretty sure." Bonnie capped the vial and set it next to the spell book. "We will have to wait for the right time to cast though."

"Stefan overheard one of the hybrids saying that Klaus was going to attack tomorrow. I don't see any other option."

"Me either." Bonnie made a small list of ingredients she would need and then looked up at Damon. "She's going to be fine, trust me."

"It's the spell I don't trust. Are you sure there aren't any loopholes to bring her back in case we need her?"

"No," Bonnie shook her head. "this is a binding magical contract. Time travel is tricky and is not to be teased. Once time has her, she belongs to it until the spell is fulfilled."

"She could be gone for years." Bonnie watched as Damon walked over to the window, twisting his ring around his finger. "I've waited over a hundred years for her...I suppose a few more won't kill me."

The morning the spell was to be performed, Damon went to her...one last attempt to keep her here with him. "I can protect you." He repeated as she shuffled through her closet for something.

"I know you can, but having me here will only distract you. If I'm gone, somewhere safe you will be able to fight without looking over your shoulder to make sure that I'm alright."

"I can multi-task." He smirked, watching as she stood up, a blue notebook in her hands. "What's that?"

"It's my journal from last year. I started a new one when I met Stefan. It was full by Christmas and I figured you should have it to keep you company while I'm gone."

Damon grimaced, taking the book but refusing to open it. "Forgive me if I don't want to read your girly descriptions of how gorgeous my brother is."

She laughed and shook her head. "I marked the entries you will want to read." She smiled, her hand gently resting on his knee. "Promise me you will read them while I'm gone. It's important. Especially the last entry."

He saw the desperation in her eyes and nodded. "I promise."

She was pleased enough to smile, and then he felt her grip tighten on his knee. "I'm scared Damon. I don't want to be alone."

"I can come with you, you know. I read in Bonnie's spell book that you can take one thing with you, living or dead."

Elena shook her head, not allowing tears to fall in front of him. "No, you have to stay here. You have to be the one to help kill Klaus. You have to be the one to bring me back."

"We could go back together." He insisted, turning to face her on the bed. "We could start over, have a new life in a new time."

She shook her head slowly, she couldn't consider it. She just couldn't. "I couldn't abandon everyone like that, and neither could you."

"If I had you, nothing else would matter."

"Damon." Her tone was warning, hoping that he wouldn't push this too far. "You know we can't be together."

"Time is running out Elena. I know that you love me."

She hesitated, knowing he was right, knowing that it was entirely possible that today could be the last day she would ever see him. "I do love you."

"Then let me come with you."

"No." She shook her head, pressing her palm to the side of his face. "When I open my eyes, after you defeat Klaus...I want you to be there looking at me...holding me. And then, when this has all blown over we can be together."

"If you won't take me, will you take something else?"

She nodded, watching as he reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a ring. The center stone was an emerald encircled by small diamonds. "It's beautiful."

"My father gave it to my mother the day I was born. That was the first and last time he celebrated anything about me."

She knew how important the ring must have been to him and she shook her head. "I can't take that."

"Yes you can. It will keep you safe. I had Bonnie put a spell on it. It won't protect you from anything normal, but if there is anything supernatural where you are going at least I know you'll be safe from that."

He took her hand in his gently and slid the ring onto her right hand. "Thank you."

"Don't forget me, okay."

She smiled, cradling his face in her hands and trying to smile. "I could never forget you."

That night, Elena was prepared for whatever was coming. The spell was ready, Damon's blood was in her system and Bonnie was chanting behind her. She felt the tingles of magic working in her bones, felt the hum of the spell in her veins, but most of all she felt the love radiating off Damon. She didn't want to go alone; she didn't want to be alone. She reached out for him, desperate for him to take her hand and step into the circle.

But it was too late. Fate allowed her one last look at him before a flash erupted before her eyes, the haze thickened and she barely glanced the door breaking down as time pulled her back.

_a/n: here we are, a new project for a new year. Are you excited for more?_


	2. With & Without You

_a/n: well i am super excited for this and I'm glad so many of you are too! Here we go with the second chapter! A bit slower this time to set the mood, but still right to the action! _

Chapter Two-With & Without You

Boarding House

Damon looked around at the empty house. They had sent Elena back two days ago, and he'd been miserable ever since. The reoccurring dreams he'd been having hadn't exactly been helping either. At first he thought they were just weird memories of Katherine, but soon he realized that it was entirely someone different. He was dreaming of Elena, as if she were in 1864. His brain was simply playing tricks on him, it's way of dealing with the fact that she was gone and he had no way to get to her. Bonnie hadn't been able to sense her since the morning after the spell and it seemed that time really had latched onto her and didn't plan on letting go anytime soon.

1864

Elena sat up slowly, her head pounding as she adjusted to the sudden stop. She wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep for, how long she had been away from home or what the hell she was doing wearing a corset and travelling on a considerably bumpy road in a carriage. She could hear the driver calling to the horses, feel the wooden wheels attempt to resist from traveling over the rocks. She shifted uncomfortably, sitting up in the seat and desperately wishing that she could breath. There wasn't much chance for her to reach behind and loosen the strings at her back before the carriage came to a sharp halt and she was sent to the dirty floor.

The light blue fabric of her dress was stained almost instantly, but she paid no attention to it as shouts from men outside pulled all her attention. She heard a few odd words and a single gunshot. She manage to peak out the window to see the driver hanging dead over the side of his seat before the door was pulled open and she was dragged out by two hands. The voice that belonged to the body was deep and male and dark, scaring her to her core as she struggled to get away. It was dark, almost too dark for her to make out his features but she could see the startlingly blonde hair.

Her attacker's rough hands felt around her bodice, searching for something, anything of value. When he found nothing he tossed her to the ground and she desperately looked down at her hand, relieved to find that he had missed her ring. With her body turned from him she twisted away a bit more and slipped Damon's gift down the front of her dress, the cool metal resting between her breasts safely. Another set of rough hands pulled her up and shook her. "Have anything for me pretty lady?" his breath smelled like bad liquor and she shivered in his arms.

"Where am I?" she asked, desperate for some clue as to where the spell had sent her other than a place where hoop skirts and learning not to breath were fashionable.

"Stupid girl." He sneered and looked at his partner. "I think we got ourselves a witless one. Find anything?"

"Not a damn thing." The blonde haired man cursed and turned around. "There was nothing in this carriage besides her."

"All the good stuff must be on her then." More hot breath fanned Elena's face and made her feel sick. "Let's open this pretty dress up and see what's in there."

Elena saw the glint of a knife blade, felt the rush of adrenaline and used the training Damon and Alaric had been teaching her to take the men by suprise. Apparently women in this time weren't used to women being able to defend themselves because the one holding her staggered back in shock, holding his broken nose. Elena reached down and grabbed the knife, turning it on the advancing blonde. "Feisty are we?" he laughed, the sound creeping up her spine. "Just who are you?"

She didn't answer and she didn't really care to. She simply tossed the knife as if it were a stake, saw it cut into his stomach and then she took off running. The heeled boots on her feet were a little too tight and awkward to walk in to begin with never mind run. She fisted her hands in the many layers of skirts and manuvered her way through the trees as best she could. The forest was even darker than the road had been and she quickly found herself tumbling down a hill, grasping out for a root or rock to stop her fall.

A few feet below, an unknowingly human Damon Salvatore was marching home in his Confederate uniform. He would not be returning to the army, and he knew how disappointed his father would be. Giuseppe Salvatore was not a man that approved of failure, and even less of quitting, but Damon could not stand one more day fighting. He just wanted to go home, find Katherine and finally convince her to choose him over Stefan. She was less than a fifteen minute walk away; he could nearly see the top of his house over the line of the trees.

Then all of a sudden he was being thrown to the ground by a cursing, screaming weight of woman. At first glance he saw Katherine, but the relief in her eyes, the expression on her face and the smile was someone else entirely. She cried out in surprise and threw her arms around him, murmuring at such a fast rate he could barely comprehend. With quick fingers he unhooked her arms from around his neck and gently forced her back, setting them both to their feet. She smiled up at him, and he could tell she wasn't Katherine. Kat had never smiled at him like that, he wasn't sure she was even able to smile like that.

"Damon, we have to go. There's two men following me." She took his hand and began to pull him, either unaware or not caring at the dazed look on his face.

At first he allowed her to pull him before digging his heels into the dirt and dragging them to a halt. "Who are you?"

She stopped then, turning to face him. Her chest was heaving as she fought air back into her lungs, something he'd never seen Katherine do. No, this definitely was someone else. "It's me Damon, it's Elena."

"Elena." He said her name slowly, as if it was foreign. "I don't understand what you mean."

"Oh fuck." She muttered under her breath and shook her head. "You have no idea who I am. Of course you don't. It's kind of a long story, but I can explain when we get to the house."

"Explain now." He demanded, his tone changing from confusion to frustration. She caught a glimpse of the Damon she knew before his human control clapped down on his temper. "Please."

"I will, as soon as we get somewhere safe."

As if on cue a shot rang out, the military training making him duck instantly, pulling her body beneath his and shielding it. "Who is that?"

"When I woke up they were robbing my carriage. I don't even know how I got there. Bonnie's spell was supposed to make sure I was safe. It was supposed to send me to my-"

She stopped then, looking up at Damon as she realized what she'd feared and hoped all along. She was meant to be with Damon. "Spell?" it was one word, but there was the quite the question in his tone as another shot rang out, distracting him. "Stay down." He ordered, pulling the rifle he had from around his back.

"I can take care of myself." She called, bickering out of instinct. He was paying her little attention though at the moment as his eyes quickly searched the trees for the two men.

She'd never really realized it before, but he often still stood like this; a soldier on guard. The comparison nearly stunned her, but she saw the movement in the trees and pointed towards it. "Over there." She whispered and Damon aimed his gun.

The gunpowder stained the air with its foreign smell and she wrinkled her nose at it. "Keep quiet." He hissed, knowing that he'd missed the target.

Elena wasn't sure how they'd done it, but without his super vampire hearing and sight it wasn't that far of a stretch...especially considering she kept distracting him. All of a sudden she was being hauled up into the arms of the blonde man while her second attacker had knocked Damon to the ground and kicked the gun out of his reach. She watched as the big booted foot pulled back to kick Damon in the stomach and cried out for him to do something. Her Damon, the Damon she knew would never allow a simple man to get this close to hurting him...but she had to remember that this Damon was human too.

He would not heal as quickly as her Damon, and if they hurt him enough they could kill him. The realization struck fear into her and she remembered her own training, throwing her elbow back and knocking the blonde back a few steps. She desperately wished for jeans as the skirt impeded her legs from kicking, but she punched as hard as she could, sending the man to the ground. When she looked back to Damon he had the other man pinned to the dirt, demanding what he wanted and threatening to kill him if they didn't leave immediately. When Damon reached back for the gun Elena called out to stop him, knowing at a time like this he could not kill.

Her Damon wouldn't have blinked to kill for her, but this Damon had just left the war, left the killing and she had to make sure it stayed that way. She had listened carefully to Bonnie's instructions not to mess with timeline at all, and already she had confused the hell out of him by appearing like Katherine. That was going to be a mess of explaining to do. Damon stood, releasing the man and promising he would kill them both if he ever saw them again. After the two men had run off, Elena stepped forward to see if he'd been hurt.

There was a trail of blood coming from the corner of his mouth and few fresh scars she assumed were from the war on his arm. She could see them through the tear in his shirt and jacket where the attacker had used his knife in an attempt to gain the upper hand. "You're hurt." She said, tearing a piece of her skirt to wipe the blood from his mouth. "I'm used to you healing."

"What are you talking about?"

She looked up, pursed her lips and shook her head. "Never mind, let's get you home. Maybe Stefan will know what to do."

She took his hand again and began dragging him, her feet seeming to know the way to the Salvatore Manor. "You know my brother?" he asked, following her for a moment and then meeting her strides.

Elena paused and looked up at him. "This is going to be complicated."

_a/n: so, im stopping here cuz i have a few things to sort out in my head. How are we going to deal with Kat/Elena looking the same and so on. If you know anything about time travel you will know that a single ripple effect can change someone's entire destiny, and that alone is what im going to rely on to keep this story moving hope you're all still enjoying it!_


	3. A Memory or a Dream

_a/n: I am so overwhelmed by the response to this story. I apologize for waiting so long to update with a new chapter, and such a short one but there will be more hopefully tomorrow! I figured you would all prefer a little taste now than to wait anymore happy reading!_

Chapter Three- A Memory or a Dream

Boarding House

Damon sat up straight in bed, his chest heaving with breath he normally didn't bother to use. He was sure if his heart could steal beat it would be hammering out of his chest. This time the dream, the memory...whatever it was that had been plaguing his thoughts, this one was so real. He could remember how soft Elena's hand had felt in his that night, how it hadn't been Katherine at all. New images swam in his mind and he shook his head to sort them. Is that where Bonnie's spell had sent her? Back to him in 1864?

Gently he lay back down, staring at his hand clearly through the darkness. He would give anything to be able to hold her right now.

1864

Elena couldn't help herself; she snuggled back into Damon's arms as he held her tight against his chest. The rain poured and the winds howled almost violently outside of the fort he had pulled her into once the storm had begun. It had quickly turned angry, but she took comfort in his closeness. For the first few minutes she was quiet, but his silence killed her in this time as it did when her Damon kept quiet. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions." She said finally, her tone almost too quiet for his human ears to pick up on.

"Do you have the answers I need?" he asked, his chin resting against the top of her wet hair. They'd both been soaked within moments.

"Some of them." She nodded, wishing she could tell him everything, but knowing that saying too much would mess with the future.

"Why do you look like Katherine?"

She knew this was going to come up sooner or later, but later was a much more option. Knowing just how infatuated Damon was with the vampire however, she should have expected that to be his first. "It's a long story. Let's just say...we're distant relatives."

"Are you a vampire?" his tone was soft, almost childish. She wondered for a moment if he was afraid, but he sounded more curious than anything.

That was definitely not a question she had been expecting, but one she could definitely answer without harming anything. "No, I'm not."

He sighed and relaxed against the cavern wall. "I'm not either. Katherine promised that she would turn me before I went off to the war. I doubt she will still even care now that she's had Stefan all to herself for so long."

A startling realization hit Elena and she shuddered. Bonnie had sent her back to protect her, but if she played this wrong she could end up ruining Damon's future. If she did or said the wrong things, she could end up losing him. "I'm sure she still will."

"You seem fairly certain."

"She loves you, she wouldn't want to lose you."

Damon took a deep breath, her head settling against his chest more comfortably. She could hear his heart beat beneath his chest. It was an odd sound, being in his arms. "I'm afraid she loves Stefan more."

"It won't always be Stefan." Elena promised, tilting her head to look at him. "One day, someone will choose you."

"How can you be so sure?" he looked down, the hair thickening between them.

She wasn't sure if it was because she was so scared, so lonely or because she missed him so much, but she pressed up and touched her lips to his. This alone could have snapped the entire timeline, but it didn't. She felt no shift inside herself to tell her that she'd changed anything, just a trail of warmth spreading through her and warming her body from the inside out. "Trust me." She whispered, surprised when he kissed back.

Damon was sure he only kissed back because she looked like Katherine. There was no deeper meaning to it. He'd been away from home for so long; months and weeks had passed with barely any human interaction, and none from a woman. Yet here she was, literally thrown into his arms and she wanted to kiss him. He would have been a fool to turn her away. He felt a shift inside him, inside his heart and pulled back, no...this wasn't right. He loved Katherine. He'd come back for her. "You must stop." He murmured against her lips, pushing her away.

If there was one thing Elena had never considered could occur was Damon stopping a kiss, but this wasn't her Damon. This Damon had not had over a hundred years to get over Katherine. It would take more than one rain soaked kiss to win his love, not that she was even allowed to anyway. Still, the unyielding connection pulled them together, and it was cruel fate that now she felt it as strong as her Damon in her time had felt it. "I apologize." She sat back, realizing that her fingers had fisted in the tear of his jacket in an attempt to get closer to him.

"I take it that you do not have someone waiting for you to return home?"

He meant she wasn't involved with anyone, and how could she answer that without giving absolutely everyone away. "It's complicated."

He nodded, seeming to accept that answer at least for the moment. "How long are you going to be staying?"

It was a simple enough of a question, and unfortunately the only one she did not know the answer to. "That I do not know...I cannot return home until they call for me."

"You are a very secretive woman." He said, smiling slightly at her through the dim light.

"The lies and secrets are for your own protection, that I promise."

"Are you a spy?" he asked, nearly serious and she realized he meant for the Confederacy.

"No." She shook her head and smiled. "That I definitely am not."

"How am I to know you are not lying?" he teased, for a moment she saw a flash of her Damon. The twist of his eyebrows, the fire in his eyes.

Then it was gone and she was back with the innocent, curly haired Damon. "I suppose you aren't."

They fell silent again, not speaking again until morning. By then the rain had stopped and Elena was amazed that she'd fallen asleep. When she opened her eyes she found herself looking back up into the startling blue eyes she'd fallen asleep looking into. The corset she was still wearing cut into her ribs almost painfully and she hissed as she sat up. There were probably bruises on her hip from the rocks of where she'd rested all night.

"Good morning." He smiled and tucked a section of hair back from her face. "I realized that there is one question I never got to ask you last night."

"What's that?" she asked, stifling a yawn behind her hand.

"What is your name?"

She laughed and allowed him to help her stand, ignoring the pain in her ankle. She must have twisted it when she'd fallen down the hill, her adrenaline not allowing her to feel it until now. "Elena."

"Elena." He repeated, letting his tongue get used to the new word. "Welcome to Mystic Falls."

Boarding House

Bonnie let the front door close behind her, finding Damon pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace, a full, unopened bottle of Scotch in his hand. "What is it Damon? What is so important that we have to talk about it at three in the morning?"

"I know where Elena is." He said, talking quickly, his movements finally stilling so that he could look at the witch. "She's in 1864, with me."

Bonnie paused, wondering if she should lie, act surprised or simply tell him the truth now that he'd mostly figured it out for himself. "Yes, she is."

"You knew." He held back the temptation to fume and simply spoke slowly. "You knew the entire time?"

"Yes, that is how we knew she would be safe. I told her not to mess with anything, a single act of hers can make it so that you don't become a vampire...which means that you won't be here when she gets back. She has to be very careful not to change too much, or the world as we know it will be gone."

Damon sighed, feeling frustrated and nearly hopeless. "As if we didn't have enough problems, now we have to worry about time travel mix ups and me suddenly disappearing."

_a/n: hope you are all still excited for what comes next...i promise i will keep the updates as often as possible! _


	4. A New Meaning for Two Faced

_a/n: im so glad that you are all loving and interested in how this story is going to end. Right now I am going back and forth between two ideas and I would love your opinions. At the end of this chapter there will be a question for you to answer with your review. The highest number of votes wins, pretty simple, but I'm having particular trouble with this idea. For now, enjoy the new chapter…happy reading!_

_p.s. I messed up in chapter three…Damon already knew her name from when she'd fallen down the hill. Sorry about that._

Chapter Four- A New Meaning for Two Faced

1864

Elena allowed Damon to sneak her into the Salvatore Manor through the kitchen so that his father wouldn't see her until he had time to explain. She watched as he was welcomed back by the servants with open arms and smiles. To see a human Damon grin was a remarkable sight and she wondered if her Damon would ever smile like that. Ever since she'd known him there had been on disaster after another and they never really got the chance to just relax and be themselves. Perhaps her time here with Damon would show her things she might never have gotten to see otherwise. He left her the care of a large black woman, promising he would come for her after he spoke to his father.

They shared one lingering look, and then he was gone. "Come on dear." The black woman guided her out of the kitchen and up stairs to one of the many spare bedrooms. "Let's get you cleaned up."

Elena nodded, watching as a few servants brought in a large wash tub, others hot water, and a young girl laid two towels over the end of the bed. Then Mable, the servant Damon had left her in the care of, shooed everyone out and began working on the corset strings. She was silent for a few minutes, but then finally the curiosity got the best of the old woman. "Where are you from?"

Elena was shocked at her forwardness, especially considering the time she was in, but found it refreshing all the same. "I can't tell you that, I'm sorry."

"Does Master Damon know?"

"Know what?" Elena let her gaze meet Mable's in the mirror.

"That you are from a different time." Elena's eyes widened, but the woman smiled comfortingly. "Don't you worry, I'm not psychic. I'm just a witch. I can smell the remnants of the spell on you."

"Please don't tell Damon."

"I won't." Mable promised, her old fingers quickly working the corset open. "Be careful with him though, I see the way he looks at you, and there is something in it that worries me more than the way he looks at Miss Katherine."

"Is she here?" Elena asked, panic slowly beginning to set in. There was no telling if the female vampire would be understanding or less then welcoming in this time.

"I believe she is outside with Master Stefan at the moment." Mable answered, smiling slightly when Elena let out a long sigh as the corset loosened completely and fell away from her body. She caught a glimpse of the ruby still sitting between her breasts and quickly slipped the ring onto her finger. "That looks like the ring that Mr. Salvatore gave his wife when Damon was born."

"It is. Damon gave it to me in my time to keep me safe. He had my witch put a spell on it to protect me."

"He can be a very sweet boy when he wants to be." Mable smiled like a proud parent and gestured at the tub. "Ready for your bath?"

Elena glanced up at her reflection again, her face was stained with dirt, her hair a flat mess of mud and twigs. It was a wonder Damon hadn't simply laughed at her this morning. She knew that her Damon would not have missed the opportunity to tease and poke fun at her. "Yes, thank you."

Over the next hour or so, Elena asked questions about Damon and learned things she was sure her Damon would never have told her willingly. Apparently his mother had died a year after giving birth to Stefan. The loss of his wife had turned Giuseppe cold and he'd resorted to giving all his attention to Stefan, who more closely resembled his mother than Damon. She learned that Katherine had come to the Salvatore Manor a few months before Damon had gone off to war and that she'd been toying with both of them. Servants heard many things because often no one noticed they were around. She learned that no one knew Katherine was a vampire, and that the first Founders Ball was tomorrow night. She knew exactly where she was now, and exactly what conversation was going on outside.

Sure enough, as if on cue Katherine's laugh, her laugh could be heard through the open window as Stefan chased her through the yard. Elena knew from the stories she'd been told that Katherine would tease the brothers, wonder which of them would invite her to the ball and then allow Stefan to take her. Damon would be left alone, basically a wall flower all night, watching his brother dance with the girl he loved. She doubted that she would be able to go to the party, what with her face and everything, but she wondered if she would still be able to keep Damon company.

Slowly she would be able to put the pieces together of all the random stories the brothers had told her over the past few years.

Outside on the lawn, Damon had watched Katherine reach the statue, his brother not far behind as they raced. She looked beautiful, all curls and curves and exactly what he'd needed after the last few months in battle. "I win, what's my prize?"

Her eyes seemed to be only for Stefan, and he just couldn't bare that. She'd asked him to come home for her, seduced him into believe that she could have them both, and that is what she was going to get. He wouldn't be left out on the side lines. "What do you want it to be?"

Both her and Stefan turned to look at him, her expression almost unreadable. "They extended your leave?" Stefan however smiled.

"I was simply having too much fun to return to battle." He smiled and stood, going to hug Stefan.

"You're commitment to the Confederacy is inspiring."

"Well this works out wonderfully for me." Katherine stepped forward, her head back in the game.

"How is that Miss Katherine?" Damon said, his arm around Stefan's shoulders. It felt nice to be back home.

"Now I'll have both of you here to keep me entertained. First and for most, I will need someone to escort me to the Founders Ball."

"I'd be honored." Stefan said, just as Damon bowed, his hat a flourish.

"With pleasure."

Katherine paused, smiling and turned back, eyeing both brothers as if they were tasty prey. "The smart and kind Salvatore brothers, both coming to my rescue…how will I ever choose?"

They turned to watch her walk away, both clearly smitten by her.

Boarding House

Damon could remember more now, and more clearly too. He could remember looking up at the window after Katherine walked away and seeing Elena looking down at him. He remembered being confused about what to do, how to feel. The way that she looked at him was the way Katherine looked at Stefan, the way he wished she would look at him. At the time he'd thought that perhaps handing Elena to him was fate's way of giving him a second chance, and as his curiosity about her grew in 1864, Damon could feel a shift inside himself. Could feel himself grow slightly weaker with each day. So far, it had been two weeks since Elena had been gone, but it seemed that he only had two days worth of memories.

Time seemed to be not moving as quickly there as it did here. They were still not any closer to destroying Klaus than they had been the night they'd sent her back. At the way it was looking now, he wasn't going to get her back. The only thing he would have for the rest of eternity would be these memories…and that he wasn't sure he could take that.

_a/n: okay, so here is my question…do we want Elena to get pregnant by human Damon before she goes back in time? Part of me really wants to write that because the look on Damon's face when he learns he's going to be a father would be priceless, but she is only 18 afterall…so im taking votes. hope you all enjoyed the chapter!_


	5. A Heart Fit to be Torn

_a/n: thank you so much for voting and showing me just how much support there is for this story to continue. I will not yet spill the beans about whether or not there will be a baby in the future of this fic, but please keep reading. It will be worth it. I will try and update this fic as frequently as possible, but I don't want to rush through it, so a few days may pass between chapters. I'm thinking it will sit around ten chapters, give or take. For now, enjoy this new chapter._

_p.s. I will try to use dialogue from 1864 flashback scenes to make it a little more realistic, I really liked the touch it had in the last chapter. Happy Reading._

Chapter Five- A Heart Fit to be Torn

1864

Elena waited in her room for almost a good two hours after dinner for Damon to find her. She had yet to go downstairs or talk to anyone other than Mable since she'd been cleaned up and dressed in a fresh gown. She felt rather ridiculous, but at least this one had no corset. By the time the sun had set, Damon finally appeared, his head through the crack in her door after a quick knock. His eyes looked tired and she knew he must have spoken to his father. She ached to go to him, to feel his arms around her, but she knew she couldn't. "I have some bad news." He said solemnly, closing the door gently behind him.

"What's that?"

"My father…well, let's just say he is less than pleased we have another guest."

"Did you tell him that Katherine is my…cousin."

"I thought it best not to mention your features just yet." Damon ran a hand through his curls and Elena wondered why he stopped wearing his hair like that.

"That's probably a wise choice." She nodded, standing from the bed but forcing herself to stay standing in place.

"The Founders Ball is tomorrow." He said, speaking quickly now. "I would ask you to go, but I may be escorting Katherine, and I think it would be rather awkward for you to go and have everyone stare because you share the same face."

Elena nodded, her heart falling a little. He was going to have to keep her locked up in this room for her own safety. "I understand."

She wanted to tell him that Katherine wouldn't choose him, that he would end up going to the ball alone, but she couldn't. She couldn't bare to see his heart broken like that before it was time. He had to go through every emotion he went through before, and she had to stay out of his way. Before she could speak, he stepped forward. "Are you hungry?"

"No," she shook her head, walking to the window. She had to move, do something or she was going to go to him and kiss him again, and that would surely ruin a lot more than she had already. "Mable brought me some dinner. Thank you though."

"I'm sure you'd like to get out of this room though." Damon offered, watching the rising moonlight play over her. It was strange to see that face framed by straight hair, to see a look of fear and almost innocence in those eyes. "We could go for a walk."

Elena looked out at the garden, then back at him. She desperately wanted to, wanted to have him all to herself, but if they got outside in the scent of the flowers and the moonlight she would not be able to resist kissing him. "No, I think it's best if I stay here."

"You're not a prisoner Elena." He said, stepping toward her, noticing that her back stiffened as he moved closer. "You don't have to be afraid of me."

"I'm not afraid of you." She promised, but still refusing to look at him. "I just have to put more important things ahead of my own wants."

There was something Katherine would never have said, and while he didn't completely understand this girls intentions, or what she was up to; something told him it was all for his well being. "I will come and visit as often as you like, and if you ever need anything Mable can find me."

She nodded, taking in a sharp breath when she felt his hands on her shoulders. She wanted to relax into his touch, lay against his chest and let him hold her. Instead she stiffened and shifted away slightly. "Thank you Damon, thank you for keeping me safe."

"I don't understand what this is." He said quietly, motioning to the air between them. "I feel something though, I feel drawn to you and I can't fight against it."

"You must." She said, gripping his hands and pushing him away gently. "You must fight. Ignore it Damon, for your own good."

"I don't understand…you feel it to, I know you do."

She hesitated, her mind and her body screaming at her to do two different things. "Trust me Damon, the less you know about me, the less time you spend with me…the better it is for both of us."

"You want me to leave?" he said, stepping away from her, rejection clear on his face.

"Yes," she nodded and turned back to the window. "I'm sorry."

When she looked back a moment later, he was gone…and for the first time since Bonnie had told her about the spell, since she'd learned she would have to leave Damon and her family behind, she let herself cry.

Boarding House

Damon stood in Ric's apartment, holding a coffee mug and listening to him and Bonnie bicker over what they were going to do over the latest new catastrophe. "Why did you send her back to 1864?" Alaric asked, his arms crossed as she stared at the witch.

"I didn't, the spell did what it was supposed to." Bonnie pushed herself from the small kitchen table and began pacing back and forth. "There was something we didn't tell you about the spell…"

"What didn't you tell us?" Damon asked pointedly, making sure to keep his tone calm and even.

"The spell wanted to keep her safe, so it sent her back in time to her true love…you."

Damon stood stunned for a moment, looking at Bonnie as if she'd swallowed her own head. "Come again?"

"She's with you, that's obvious…but she's with you because her head finally realized what her heart knew all along, she was meant to be with you. Now, I'm hardly jumping up and down for joy here, we know I'm not your biggest fan, but she loves you and she's finally admitting it."

Damon slammed the mug down, shattering the handle in the process. "Yes, but she'd admitting it to a me that doesn't even know she exists! A me that needs to be completely in love with Katherine, smitten, beguiled and a total idiot. If she screws this up, I won't be here if or when she ever returns!"

"I know." Bonnie whispered, doing her best to counter the sudden shouting. "And all we can do is sit back and watch."

Damon turned his glare from her to the mug and moved to pick it up. His hand went straight through it and he staggered. "What the fuck?"

Ric stood then, going to his friend and grabbing his arm. It was solid. "Try it again." He said, watching as Damon's hand met the coffee mug properly this time.

With serious eyes he looked at Bonnie. "What does this mean?" Damon asked when neither of them said anything.

"It means that you are already falling in love with Elena."

Damon felt a wave of nausea, watching Bonnie's eyes widen as his hand disappeared all together, then came back. "This is getting all a little too 'Back to the Future' for me." He groaned, gripping the island. "We have to get her back, before she ends up killing me without knowing it."

1864

Damon stood, his hands clasped behind his back as he watched Stefan and Katherine dancing. She'd chosen his brother. He'd felt that she'd been pulling away from him lately, but this hurt more than anything. Why would she do this? Why make such a public display of the fact she'd made her choice when just last night he'd gone to her room and they'd made love again? She was toying with him, he knew it…but he didn't want to stop it either. He loved her, and that was something he could not help. Instincts had him glancing toward the stairs, pulling him up to the room Elena was hiding herself in.

He wished he could get more information out of her, more than a simple 'I'm not from here.' That was clear from the way she moved, talked. Part of him desperately wished he could go up and talk to her, but then Katherine glanced at him and he felt the pull, the draw her seduction had on him. Would he ever be free of this power his heart seemed to have over him, or would he be doomed to remain stuck in a tug of war for love with his brother forever? When the party was finally over and he'd been subjected to enough embarrassment, he went to her…to Katherine and fell to her compulsion.

She didn't want him tonight, and something about the way she said it, made that all right. He would try again tomorrow when she was in a better mood. He would go straight to bed and dream of her, nothing else. Elena was forgotten for the moment.

_a/n: hope that was worth waiting for you all. I'm hoping that the new chapter will be rolling out soon for you guys…now is where it's going to get even more complicated…hope you stick around to find out what happens next! _


	6. The Devil in the Details

_a/n: there are a few twists and turns coming up in the next few chapters. I will try not to make them too short, from now on, but time restrictions and life don't always let me write for as long as I would like. For now, enjoy this new chapter! _

Chapter Six- The Devil in the Details

Boarding House

Damon stared down the blue notebook in his hands as he had been for the past twenty minutes. He'd felt surprisingly better for the last few days, but the feeling of nausea was quickly returning and he fought to read the words Elena had written. She'd told him to read the marked entries only, and while his curiosity ached for him to read every single thought this girl had ever recorded, he refrained and turned to the first tabbed entry. It didn't begin with 'dear diary' as Caroline's had. Only the date in her familiar print.

_Today, I feel torn. So much is going on at once and it seems like everyone is looking to me to come up with a plan. Well, other than Damon. He always has a plan, and usually one the spells trouble for anyone but him. I could have lost Jeremy last night…well at least lost the human brother I've come to know. I could have lost my father…the father I didn't even know I had. I could have lost Damon to the fire, and that thought is enough to terrify me. What would I do without him? Besides maybe sleep a little easier at night…but not really. Even just the thought of my life without him worries me…when months ago that's all I wanted. I just wanted him and his evil ways out of this town…but somehow lately he'd changed._

_ Losing Katherine, discovering that she'd never come back for him even though he'd been searching for her finally made him wake up a little. He knows that he cannot continue to live his life around her, but does that make it right for him to transfer that passion onto me…and for me to feel alright with it?_

Damon carefully dissected the words and turned to the next entry. She'd been feeling the things he knew she'd been feeling. She'd been able to admit it on paper, half heartedly out loud to Caroline, and partially to him before she'd been sent back…so why couldn't she just come right out and say it to his face? What was so hard for her about 'Damon, I love you.'

_Well, Katherine is in Mystic Falls…apparently to stay and she's causing more havoc than she's worth. I know it's Damon that I should be angry at for killing Jeremy, and it's not that I'm not. I hate him, I can't stop hating him. Especially now that he's admitted he didn't know Jeremy was wearing his ring…but I can't help but to forgive him. There is just a connection between us that I cannot deny…that part of me doesn't want to deny anymore. My doppelganger seems to be creating terror wherever she goes, and we're going to have to put a stop to it before things get anymore out of hand. At least she's in the tomb for now. Another day, another drama. I know that I will eventually forgive Damon, it just won't be today. It just can't be today._

Damon remembered how much he'd hurt her that night, how awful he'd felt for taking her brother's life…even if it had only been for a few hours. He'd been so angry, so pained that Katherine had finally admitted she didn't love him…and then Elena had rejected him a few minutes later. No one loved him, so why not let them hate him too? It had been a mistake, and he regretted it, but things were different now and she'd found a way to forgive him, a way to maybe even love him as much as he loved her.

_Damon almost died tonight…he was right there beside me. Inches from death. I almost lost him again, so close and yet all I could do was give him one kiss and hold him. I've never felt so hopeless in my life, so useless. There was nothing I could do to help him, nothing I could do to stop his pain. So I forgave him, I said deep dark things I hadn't even realized until they were out of my mouth, and then Katherine had come and done the thing I couldn't. She saved him. Is it wrong that I feel even more inferior to that bitch now? But Stefan is gone, and he won't answer his phone and I don't know what to do. I don't know what to say. What did that kiss mean? It was just a goodbye kiss, wasn't it? I mean, that's all I intended it to mean….but I was with Damon…I was in his bed with my arms around him while my boyfriend was dealing his soul away to the devil- and I didn't even give him a second thought. What's wrong with me? How is it possible that I can feel the same thing for both brothers at the same time…maybe Katherine wasn't so bad after all…maybe it is okay to love them both._

Damon closed the book and set it on the coffee table. He couldn't take anymore, he couldn't read anymore tonight. The room turned black before him for a moment and he blinked furiously, trying to get it to come back. Did Elena realize what she was doing to him? Did she not see that she was making his human brain fall in love with her? Did she not know that if she kept this up, she was going to have him to come to? He wished there was a way he could communicate with her, tell her…warn her. But Bonnie had already tried everything she knew of and he'd scoured spell books for days. Short of sending himself back to and hoping that he would go back to the same time, they had no option.

1864

Damon sat up in bed, the satin sheets Katherine had sent to the house were cool against his skin and he blinked sleep from his eyes. She was sitting at her small desk, scribbling inhumanly quickly onto a piece of paper. He pushed up on his elbows to see what she writing, but at that moment she recognized the change in his breathing and turned around to look at him, her smile sweet. "Good morning darling." She soothed, gracefully turning the paper over and sweeping over to the bed.

"What are you writing?" he asked as she climbed onto the bed next to him.

Her hand was cool on his chest and he shivered. "Nothing for you to worry about." She whispered before leaning down to kiss him. It was a lie, but he did not need to know that, not yet anyway.

Three days later, a man in a suit approached another man sitting in a corner booth of a English pub. The exchange was wordless as the second man took the letter and nodded in acceptance, trading the envelope for a purse of gold. When he was alone, he tore the letter open, anxious to read what Katerina had found so important to risk her life to tell him. His light brown eyes scanned over the paper anxiously, widening as he began to understand just what it was she was offering to him and his brother.

_Dear Elijah,_

_ I am sure you understand the risk I am taking writing to you and revealing my location. I am trusting you not to tell Nicklaus before you come and speak to me personally. As you and your brother are aware, I am of no more use to you for the sacrifice, but the man I am staying with as unwittingly brought me the perfect bargaining tool. My doppelganger. I promise you that she is completely human and with a little compulsion and I am sure we can make her agree to almost anything._

_ Please come soon, and please come alone. My aid will direct you._

_Katerina_

Elijah read the letter twice before standing and throwing a few coins on the table. He could see the first man standing by the door. It would take three days to get to Katerina, and then two from that until the full moon when they would be able to free his brother from the curse.

Boarding House

Damon looked up as a knock on the door shook him from his reading. It had been two days since he first opened the diary and he hadn't been able to put it down since. He glared at the door, but answered it anyway. Surprise shook him as he took in the sight of Elijah. "What do I owe the pleasure?" he said smugly, stepping back to allow the vampire access to the house.

After all, he already had it. "I came to thank you for awakening me, for reuniting me with my brother and sister."

"Did Klaus awaken Rebekah?" Damon asked, going back into the living room to pour them both a drink.

"No, not yet. He doesn't quite know what to do with her."

Damon handed Elijah the glass and rested his hip on the arm of chair. "You didn't come all the way here only to thank me. What's the real reason?"

"It seems that my little brother has your head in his cross hairs…I've missed quite a lot in my time gone."

"Yes you have." Damon nodded, sinking into the chair and motioning for Elijah to take a seat as well. "If you're here for Elena, you will not find her."

"Oh, on the contrary." Elijah smiled and drained the glass. "I know exactly where she is…"

"What do you mean?" Damon's eyes narrowed, the muscles in his hand flexing as he prepared for a fight. "It's not possible for you to know."

"She is in 1864…at least as far as my memories are telling me. I had a curious dream last night about Katerina, or rather a letter I got from her. New images seem to be entering my subconscious constantly, but now I can see them as if they really happened."

Damon remembered the memory of waking and seeing Katherine at her desk, putting two and two together."What did the letter say?"

"Long story short?" Elijah smiled, and set the empty glass on the table next to Elena's journal. "She offered you're doppelganger in exchange for her freedom, and as it stands I am currently on my way to collect her for the full moon sacrifice."

Damon jumped to his feet, his hand closing around Elijah's neck. He realized then, that killing this vampire would do no good. All any of them could do was sit back and wait for 1864 to continue messing with their present.

_a/n: hope you all were pleased with the longer chapter this time around. No delena action just yet, but I am hoping that the next one will have some! What are you all thinking now?_


	7. The Truth in the Lie

_a/n: some of you want Elena to tell Damon everything…some of you want him to know nothing. Balance people…it's all about balance. Enjoy this new chapter._

Chapter Seven- The Truth in the Lie

1864

Elena pressed her hand to her chest as she rested against her closed door. How could she have been so stupid? How could she have let Katherine see her? She'd been locked in this room for days, not even Damon had come to visit her since the day before the Founders Ball. She knew the history well enough to know that Katherine was already putting her plan in motion to barter her fake death with George Lockwood for the moonstone. The ridiculous thing, was that Elena could barely think of that…she missed Damon so much, her Damon…really any Damon at all. This was why her loneliness had manifested itself into a craziness that had her sneaking out of her room in the early morning and getting spotted by her doppelganger.

Her heart beat like crazy and she prayed that she'd only been imagining the female vampire seeing her…but she knew it hadn't been. She knew she was in deep trouble; she just wasn't sure how deep.

When Damon finally did appear the morning after she'd been seen, he seemed almost unaware that any time had passed. He greeted her with a smile, asked her how her night was and looked rather cute with a few curls falling over his forehead as he carried in her breakfast tray. "Mable asked me to bring this to you." He explained as he set it over her lap over the quilt that was still covering her.

She moved further up so her back was resting against the pillows, taking in the welcome sight of him. It was like a breath of fresh air…oh, only if he'd come to see her six hours earlier. They all could have been spared whatever dangers were certainly coming. "Thank you." She hadn't meant her tone to sound so short, but it had…and he caught it.

"You're upset with me." He reasoned, sitting at the edge of the bed and turning toward her. "I can hear it in your voice."

"I suppose it's just that I've been lonely these past few days. Mable is wonderful, but I guess I missed you."

He seemed pleasantly surprised by her admittance, his grin widening. "I have to tell you something."

"You can tell me anything." She encouraged, sitting up more. She knew it was wrong to want this Damon to love her, knew that it was dangerous…but she just couldn't help it.

"Katherine has agreed to leave with me." He sounded like a boy who'd been promised a puppy. "She says she does not love Stefan anymore, that she wants me and only me."

Elena wanted to tell him the truth, wanted to tell him that this was all part of her plan to get him even more hooked than he already was. But if she wanted to return to her Damon, he had to feel all the same pains that he'd felt before she'd gone back in time. Her being here was bad enough as it was. "I'm sure that must make you very happy."

Damon was quite observant, even as a human she noticed. His hand settled over her ankle through the quilt and she glanced at his touch before looking back at his eyes. "That's not all." He paused, seemingly at war with himself over something. "Part of me feels as if it is not right to go, like there is something pulling me to stay here, in this house…with you."

Elena's worst fears had come to truth, he felt it. Their connection, and that was going to change the future drastically, and do much more harm than good if she could not get home in time to save it. "You only think that way because I look like Katherine." She smiled, setting the tray aside and slidding her knees up to her chest so that he could not touch her. "What you're feeling isn't real."

"I don't believe that." He shook his head, standing from the bed. He'd read her signal, her need for distance loud and clear, but he could not leave yet. "I know it is more than just a funny feeling, and I think you know why."

Elena sighed, her eyes drifting to her hands and found that they were shaking. "Damon, please…don't ask me questions I cannot answer for you. The information I have will only do harm."

"How can you be so sure?" he questioned, running his hand through his hair.

She'd never seen anything cuter, and if the moment hadn't been so serious she might have laughed. "I know things Damon, and you have to trust me that keeping you in the dark is for the best."

"If you believed that you would never have come here with me, never risked showing yourself to me." For a moment she saw her Damon again, the flash of anger and determination she'd fallen in love with so long ago.

"I didn't have much choice, if you recall." She reminded him of how she'd literally landed in his arms. "I never wanted to jeopardize your future."

He paused, and she realized she'd said too much again. Panic struck her and she struggled out of the tangled sheets. "My future?"

She knew if she opened her mouth at the moment she would ramble, say more things that would do harm, so she kept silent and fought for a clear thought. Something to satisfy him and detour him from asking more questions. "It's true…I'm not from here." She spoke carefully, slowly. "I'm from a different time." That was the truth…and here was the lie. "A few years from now, you will meet me again, and things have to be different then, different than they are now. You need to love Katherine, and you cannot feel anything for me."

"I don't understand." He shook his head, a headache beginning from behind his eyes. "I know that there are witches and vampires, but time travel. You can't be serious."

"I am." She nodded, stepping forward and placing her hand on his arm. "You must try to forget about me Damon."

He looked down at her hand, his eyes narrowing at the ring she was wearing and she realized that she'd made yet another mistake. Quickly, she tore her hand back as if she'd been burned, but it was too late. "How did you get that?" he demanded, grabbing her wrist and holding her hand up.

"You gave it to me." He answered, praying that he would believe her. "In the time we know each other we are…good friends. A witch friend of mine sent me back to protect me, and you gave me this."

"We must be very good friends if I would give that to you." He looked at her skeptically and she knew he didn't trust her completely. That was fine, if he didn't trust her than he couldn't love her.

"We are." She admitted, thinking that at least wouldn't harm too much. "When I first met you, you loved Katherine very much. I need you to remember that, remember how you feel about her."

"Why is it so important that I don't feel for you?" he asked, releasing her wrist, but only to grasp her hand. "Why do you want me to deny this connection? It's like a magnet, pulling me toward you. I can't fight it, I don't want to fight it."

"You must." She pulled away from him, her heart breaking slightly. "Please Damon, you must."

He paused, seeing the pain in her eyes but unable to deny himself the need he felt. "No, I can't."

Elena gasped, surprised when he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. It was more intense than their first kiss in the cave, held more passion than she'd realized were possible. "Don't." she mumbled against his lips as she pulled him toward the bed.

He tripped over the breakfast tray on the floor, and landed with her on the mattress, his hands already working the strings of her corset open with practiced movements. "I don't understand this." He shook his head before moving to kiss her again. "I don't understand."

She realized just how ridiculous they sounded, how incredibly stupid this was…but dammit if it didn't feel good. Every where he touched sizzled and her body breathed relief when he finally managed to get her out of her dressing gown. "We have to stop." She said breathless, her fingers in his hair, then working his shirt out of his pants and tugging it over his head.

"I know." He agreed. "I love Katherine, I know I do. I just can't help feeling this intense need to be with you."

"Me either." She fought with the unfamiliar clasp of his pants, undoing them and pushing them down past his hips.

She'd imagined her first time with Damon a million different ways. Slow, intense love making in front of the fire in the room where they'd first met. Quick passionate making out in the car that grew to something more heated in the back seat. Sleepy kisses and finally admitting the truth one stormy night. Never in a million years had her mind ever dreamed up such a incredible fantasy as a morning tryst in 1864 with a human Damon. For a moment she thought of her Damon, of how angry he would be that she was letting their first time escape him, but really it wasn't like she was cheating. Especially since they weren't even together in her time. Not yet anyway.

She thought of a book Caroline had once made her read during summer break and how a wife with a time travelling husband and slept with past version of himself to get pregnant. He'd been upset once he'd found out, but she'd been faithful after all. She could try and swing it that way if Damon ever found out…oh of course he would find out. He would know everything she was doing, that at least should be a comfort. He could remember and when she got back- if she ever got back they could do things right. In a way, it was nice being with human Damon, not that she would admit that out loud.

He was careful and gentle with her, and surprisingly talented with his fingers. Elena had always know that her Damon would be talented in bed, or really anyplace but she had no idea it was all because of Katherine. Surely, he'd practiced and honed his skills over the past hundred years with thousands of women, but with natural talent like this, she didn't stand a chance when she got back home. She was tight, due to the fact she hadn't slept with anyone in over a year, and extremely sensitive thanks to having no one but herself touch her body. The only thing missing, the only thing she'd wanted from a first time with Damon were words of love…but with this Damon she got none.

He murmured she was beautiful against her neck and he kissed her slowly and passionately, but there was something missing, something keeping her from completely relaxing with him. She hoped that he didn't notice it, thankful that this Damon could not hear the beats of her heart and read into them. Her body ached for release, pressure pooling low in her stomach as his fingers slipped in and out of her, teased her clit and made her moan. If she hadn't been so desperate for release, so on edge from lack of contact she might have been able to hold off her orgasm, but he was too good and she was too far gone.

As her body recovered from the sharp ripples of pleasure, Damon kicked off the rest of his pants and moved her more comfortably against the pillows. He kissed up the inside of her calf to her thigh until her legs fell open invitingly. He may not be her Damon, but that didn't stop her from wanting him. He had the same face, the same voice and really if she didn't think about the lack of fangs and fear of possibly being drained if he lost control…she could imagine he was her Damon. Her tightness attempted to restrain him, but their desire fought back and worked together until they were joined.

Tongues tangled, limbs wrapped around and skin seared together as they made love. He thrust deep, and when she came so did he. For a while, they lay together in the mutual afterglow before the cool morning air from the open window met her skin and the realization of what she had done sunk in. Reality seemed to hit him at marginally the same time and he sat up slowly, looking at her carefully. "Are you alright?"

She nodded, pulling the sheet up around her body, feeling quite exposed. "Yes, thank you."

"Do you want me to leave?" he asked, his eyes darting to the heap of clothes on the floor.

"That's probably a good idea." She nodded, her heart twinging as she watched him slip from the bed and tug his pants on.

Even this Damon looked beautiful, the morning sunrise glowing over his body. He looked like a angel, and one she might never get to see again. "Elena?" he asked, tucking in his shirt.

"Yes?" she looked up expectantly, not sure what it was she wanted him to say.

"I think you were right to keep me at arms length. I thought that maybe if we made love some of the ache, the connection I felt for you would lessen…but it didn't. I fear that our time together has only made it worse."

Elena's heart fell, but only a little. She couldn't help being sickly pleased by the fact that even in this time he could love her for who she was. "Forget about me Damon, please promise me you will try."

That was the last thing she said to him, only a look shared between them before he closed the door behind them. For the second time since she'd arrived here, she let herself cry, but not for nearly long as the first night. She had to make a plan, and she would need Mable's help to do it.

* * *

><p>That night, once the sun had set and darkness would give her the cast of shadow she needed to hide, she packed the small bags of belonging she'd been provided from the staff, along with her friend's promise that she would erase Damon's mind if it seemed that he would not be changed. She got no further than the edge of the forest before two arms wrapped around her, a hand covering her mouth. A familiar voice, one she'd never expected to hear again whispered in her ear and she froze. This man was definitely a vampire. "Hello doppelganger."<p>

"Elijah." She breathed, panic setting in when she realized this was not the Elijah that she knew. This was the one she should fear, the blood thirsty one that was only loyal to his brother.

"I see you know you're history." He sounded pleased, before covering her mouth again with a handkerchief, and then everything went dark.

Boarding House

Damon pushed himself up from the couch, Elena's journal laying across his chest. He must have fallen asleep reading again, but at the moment he didn't care about forgetting the last few lines. All he could focus on was the new memory of their first time. That had definitely not been Katherine he had slept with, and it could only mean one of two things…either he'd completely screwed himself by falling in love with her…or he'd completely screwed himself by falling out of love with Katherine. A glance down at his body, at his currently invisible body told him that either option was not a good one. The front door slammed, pulling his conscious back to this time as his soul fought to stay here.

"I've got her." Elijah said. "It's too late."

_a/n: the longest chapter so far. Kinda of bittersweet, but I promise you this fic will have a happy ending. Eventually. Keep your eyes open for the next update._


	8. The Pain in the Heart pt 1

_a/n: so, a little bit of mixed emotions with the last chapter. Hopefully this one will please those of you that were a little heartbroken. I just love the character of Elijah and had to get him in there somewhere. Don't worry, I've got it all figured out, just enjoy the ride. Happy Reading._

Chapter Seven- The Pain in the Heart pt. 1

1864

Katherine watched the door close behind Stefan as he left her bedroom. The full moon was getting closer and she'd almost gotten both brothers exactly where she wanted. The appearance of this Elena had confused Damon a bit, but she'd spent the last few nights making sure his love for her was pure and right back to where it was supposed to be. Tomorrow night, she would be free. Completely free.

When Elena finally opened her eyes, she was still in darkness. A quick rolling of her shoulders and tugging of her legs informed her that she was currently tied to a chair. The smell further informed her she was being held in some kind of barn. There was no telling how long she had been asleep and just how far this Elijah had taken her from the Salvatore Manor, from Mystic Falls. She tried to free herself, only managing to gain a few inches in movement; the chair legs scraping against the wooden planked floor. She heard a faint laugh from somewhere in a dark corner and strained to see through the darkness. The tone was familiar, and she found odd comfort in the fact that she half knew her captor.

"Elijah?"

He laughed again, flicked a single candle to life and painted his face in a warm glow. "Doppelganger."

"Is Niklaus here?" she asked, taking in the sight of his appearance. His hair was slightly longer than the last time she'd seen him, a bit curled at the ends. His eyes were dark, sunken in just a bit as if he hadn't slept in a good hundred years.

"You seem quite knowledgeable about us." He stood from his own chair and began to circle her like a shark. "Just where are you from?"

Elena saw no harm in telling him the truth. He'd been around for quite a while and it was doubtful that there was anything he hadn't heard. "I am from the future."

He laughed, long and loud before the look on her face cut him short. "You're serious?"

"Yes."

"And how is that you know of my brother and I?" he asked, his eyes glinting curiously.

"We are…friends persay in my time. I even know you're sister."

"Rebekah?" Elijah stepped forward, his hands clenched into tight fists. "You know her?"

"Yes." Elena nodded, careful not to state that they were friends also. "She and I reached a…mutual understanding about your brother."

He paused, circling her again, the opposite way this time. "What kind of understanding? About what?"

"I think that's something a friend tells a friend…not a conversation for a hostage and her captor."

He eyed her, taking in the sight of her deceiving build and thinking she couldn't do too much harm. "Give me your word that you will not run."

Elena knew what kind of man Elijah was, a man of honor and was relieved to know that in this time he still held such a useful quality. It may come in handy later. "You have it."

Quickly, with vampire speed he untied her hands and feet, watching as she massaged blood back into the body parts he'd been denying proper circulation. "Tell me what this information is now." He ordered, taking pity on her and handing her the mug of water he'd been slowly nursing while waiting for her to awaken.

Elena drank greedily, finding her throat quite dry. "How long was I asleep?" she asked, willing strength back into her limbs.

"Two nights." He answered, taking the now empty mug back.

"Is your brother here?" she repeated her earlier question, realizing he hadn't given her an answer.

Elijah paused, watching her carefully. "No," he finally answered, dragging his chair over so they were sitting across from each other. "I came for you alone."

"How did you know where to find me?" she wasn't sure how much longer he was going to allow her to ask questions, so she wanted to milk the opportunity while she could.

"Katerina sent me a message, asking me use you in a trade for her freedom. My brother has been chasing her for some time now."

"I know." She nodded and rubbed gently at the sore muscles in her neck. "What I have to tell you is going to shock you, upset you and you probably will not believe me at first. You're sister did not even believe me for a time."

"What is it?"

Elena took a deep breath, thinking of the best way to explain the truth to one of the few vampires she actually respected and trusted. "First, before I tell you anything, I must ask you; do you have any idea where you're father is?"

She saw him stiffen at the mention of Mikeal and hoped that he would not react harshly. "No."

Her heart sunk and she nodded, slowly. "I didn't think so."

"What would you need him for?" he asked slowly, trying to read her mind through her eyes.

"He has a…weapon." She chose her words carefully, knowing that she would need him on her side if any of the currently forming plan was going to work.

"Weapon?" he leant back in the chair, crossing his arms so the jacket stretched over his shoulders.

"We don't have much time I fear, so you will have to excuse my indelicate explanation, but your brother has been lying to both you and your sister for many, many years."

"My brother is not a liar!" Elijah jumped to his feet, knocking the chair to the floor. "You don't know what you're talking about!"

Elena waited until the hard anger had turned to quiet fury. "It was not Mikeal that killed your mother…it was Klaus."

"He would never do that!" Elijah raged, and she found herself as afraid of him as she had the first time she'd seen him.

"It's true, and you're going to have to learn to accept that." She spoke gently, not hurt when he shook her hand from his shoulder. "Please Elijah, think. You know it to be true."

"No!" he bellowed at her and stormed from the barn, sliding the large door closed and locking it.

Boarding House

Damon watched as the dark veined skin of Rebekah turned back to clear porcelain. Elijah stood over her, the dagger he'd pulled from her still in his hand. Damon was not sure how his new partner had gotten her from Klaus's home, but he wasn't in much of a mood to ask questions. He'd been feeling stronger this past week, which meant that Elena was still in 1864 Klaus's grasp, and he was currently being seduced by Katherine. All things considering, they were somewhat getting life back on track. He watched as the blonde came back to undead life, her eyes opening slowly. Was waking Barbie-Klaus a wise decision? They we're about to find out.

Hours later, Damon still wasn't sure. The two men had waited while she fumed and screamed about back stabbing humans, asshole brothers and then finally while she wept over a dead father she wasn't even aware that had died. They waited while she showered and changed out of her Homecoming dress, finally gaining her attention once she had a glass of Damon's good brandy half drunken. Elijah had wanted answers for the questions his new dream had told him, and she was less than enthusiastic to tell him that Elena had been telling the truth.

"Nik has no honor." She said after a moment, looking up at her brother. "I love him too, but he must pay for what he did to mother."

1864

When the door opened again, Elena found herself face to face with a much calmer Elijah. If he hadn't accepted her words to be complete truth, he believed her enough to trust her. "I apologize for my outburst." He said, reminding her of the somewhat gentle Elijah she'd known just before he was daggered by his own brother.

She'd chosen to leave that part out. "It's alright, I understand that learning dark family secrets cannot always be the easiest thing in the world."

"This weapon you talk of, what does it do exactly?" he righted the chair and sat once more, gesturing for to do the same.

She sat across from him, speaking carefully. "My understanding of it, was there is only one stake carved from the white oak tree that will have the power to kill an Original."

Elijah nodded and clasped his hands together. "And in your time, Mikeal has it?"

"He did." Elena nodded, remembering how upset Damon had been that night. "Klaus used to kill your father. There isn't one in my time anymore."

"And I'm guessing that you want to find it to kill my brother?"

Elijah had never been less than smart in the time that she'd known him, so really she shouldn't have expected less. She decided it was best to stay honest and to the point with him. "Yes."

"I don't know where my father is," he answered as he reached into his jacket. "but I do believe that this is what you need."

Elena watched with wide eyes as he pulled out the white oak dagger. No history had told her that Mikeal had been the only one to ever hold the dagger. "You have it." She spoke quietly.

"I have it." He nodded and held it toward her. "Now what do we do?"

_a/n: _


	9. The Pain in the Heart pt 2

_a/n: so here we are, Damon is currently occupied and being distracted by Katherine's compulsion while Elena is off with Elijah planning how they are going to use the white oak stake (not dagger- my apologies for the typo) to kill Klaus. I left Damon's reaction to her disappearance out of the last chapter because I knew this would be coming along soon. There are always two sides to every story, so here is another side of that chapter._

Chapter Nine- The Pain in the Heart pt. 2

1864

Katherine enjoyed the wind on her face as she ran through the trees. She knew that she was not actually going to die along with the other vampires in the church, but there was no telling how long she would have to be in hiding for. "Where are we going?" Damon asked, running after her.

"Everywhere." She called back, smiling.

"Wait for me, I want to come with you." He continued to follow, almost tripping over an upturned root. She paused to look back, only to allow him to push her against a tree, the smell of burning wood tickling her nose.

"You're faster than I thought." She teased, wishing he would kiss her; wishing he was Stefan. It was cruel she knew—to prefer the other brother, but he wasn't nearly so desperate to have her as Damon was. That made it all the more entertaining of a game.

"Why must you always run from me?" he asked, his hand on her face; his touch warm and comforting.

"Because I know that you will chase." She answered honestly, still smiling. This was a terrible game she was playing, but her rules were there were no rules, which meant no one could judge her actions.

"Then let me chase you forever." He agreed, no idea how nearly pathetic he sounded. "Feed me your blood."

Katherine sighed, wondering if it was best she denied his wish. The full moon ceremony was to be held in a few short hours. Elijah would have no doubt brought Elena to Klaus by now and they would be well on their way to preparing for the ritual. "I will not feed you Damon." She said, reaching up to pull her hair pin from her curls. She barely felt any pain as she cut her own skin, a thin trail of blood running down her neck. Damon's eyes widened as he took in the sight of her offering. "It is your choice to make."

"I choose you Katherine." He agreed, searching her eyes for reassurance. "Promise me, you will not tell my brother."

"I promise." She held back her smirk, but she meant it. She would not tell him that her blood ran through Stefan at the moment either. "It will be our little secret."

He seemed satisfied, bending closer to lick her skin clean, before closing his lips around the wound and drinking from her.

Boarding House

Damon downed the glass of whiskey and set the empty crystal back on the tray. It had been two days, and they hadn't come up with much of a plan. Even with Rebekah's help, they were still a stake shy of defeating Klaus and the only possible weapon was stuck in the past with the woman he loved. He'd had no new dreams, no new memories to tell him that she was alright, that she was even still alive. Bonnie had assured him that they would feel something if she died, but since her death would not affect the timeline, they had no real way of knowing. Only, Elijah's far and few mentions of her. Rebekah was upstairs soaking in a bath, and Elijah had hoarded himself up in the library, scouring through books for something, anything that would help him.

He'd already spent a good twenty four hours staring at Ric's pictures of the cave drawings and wasted another six trying to get through the witchy barrier in the cavern to see the originals themselves. They were getting nowhere and he sincerely hoped that Elena was doing a lot better than he was, wherever the hell she was. His eyes captured the sight of her journal, and he decided to read a little more. It was the only connection he had to her, and he had to force himself to cherish it slowly. He only had four marked entries left before he was completely finished.

Carefully he turned back to the page he'd fallen asleep reading last time he'd given himself a break to read.

_Things are different now, startlingly more different, and yet completely the same. I thought that once I turned eighteen, all of this would make more sense. I should have known, that age would only make things for complicated. My part didn't end that…great. Damon and I got in a fight about Stefan, about Andie. I know now that she's dead, that she was killed; and that it was Stefan who did it. I want to comfort Damon, but is there really anything I can do or say that will not only torture him more? It's been two weeks now since Stefan's last phone call, since the party. Damon and I aren't exactly fighting, but we aren't completely friends either._

_ Stefan is gone, Damon is here and I am totally alone._

Damon turned the page, amazed at just how drastically different opinions of a few days could change between points of view. As far as he was concerned, she'd made it clear she wanted nothing to do with him, yet here she was, basically admitting that she missed him.

_He wants me to remember the things I'm feeling while Stefan's gone. Okay, well here's what I'm feeling. FREAKING CONFUSED! We were there, literally feet from Stefan…and nothing. I just left him, left my one possible chance to get him back, and for what? To save Damon from another possible werewolf bite. I just couldn't standing seeing him go through that pain again, and considering we had no more hybrid blood to feed him, it just wasn't worth the chance of losing him. When did it become more important for me to keep Damon safe than save Stefan? Ugh, he wants me to remember, to feel. _

_ Only I don't want to remember and I don't want to feel. It makes it only more confusing when I try to sort it all out._

Even in his distress Damon couldn't help smiling. She had felt things, had recorded down memories of things she'd felt for him. It was just what he wanted, just what he needed her to do. Elena was too good at denial, too good and ignoring her emotions when it came down to him, and that was finally ending. He could see it in her words, remember the look in her eyes before Bonnie had sent her back two weeks ago. For him it had been fourteen days, seven hours and twenty three minutes since he'd seen her; and he missed her terribly. Judging by the rate of memories he and Elijah had pieced together, she'd been in his time for no less than a week. He'd always thought that time would move at the same rate, but it wasn't exactly there was a guidebook to time travel.

_Alright, so Stefan is back; and he is very different. It's almost like looking at a completely different person. The Stefan I knew would never have bit me…he would never have hurt me. Then again, the Stefan I knew didn't have the switch turned off—and compulsion or not, his actions could not be excused. I wanted to go to Damon, hide in his arms until this all blew over, but I couldn't. I wouldn't allow myself to be that weak, and I certainly wouldn't allow myself to rely on someone else. Someone other than myself. It was clear to me know, if not long before that people leave. The only one I can trust is myself. _

_ There is nothing stopping Damon from up and leaving town, abandoning me. After all, what really is there here to stay for? Even with his maniac brother on the loose, I still won't be with him—not that I want to be with him. I don't want to be with anyone really, not right now. There is barely time for my own head to think about what to do next, how we're going to defeat Klaus without having to worry about trival things like love and dating. I just wish I didn't feel so damn lonely all the time._

Damon closed the journal, leaving one last entry. He couldn't read anymore, frankly he didn't think he could handle anymore. His head swirled with memories, both past and present of her and he had to lie down. It could have just been the lack of sleep, the overage of alcohol he'd been consuming, or a new dream calling him to remember more, but whatever it was had him lying down on the couch and closing his eyes. If it was a memory, at least he would be able to pretend he was with her for a short time.

1864

Katherine crept back to her room, careful to miss the third step on the staircase; well aware that it creaked. She knew that Stefan's father had spiked his drink, that he had poisoned the very blood he assumed she would drink tonight. The Salvatore men were playing right into her hand, and she couldn't have it any other way. Time was moving quickly, and it was definitely running out. She and Stefan had agreed to meet at ten, both knowing that they wouldn't leave her bed until the early morning; or at least that is what he thought. Once she was in her room, she lay her robe over the back of her chair, preparing herself for the pain she knew was coming.

She was going to subject herself to vervain, and since she'd only been drinking it in small doses for a few months, the effects would still be crippling. She did not like feeling weak, and she certainly did not like being off the top of her game. She would be leaving her fate up to George Lockwood, and she prayed that he would not back out on their deal. As she heard Stefan's approaching footsteps, she glanced at the jewelry box sitting on her dresser. The moonstone was her bargaining chip, and she hoped that Elijah had been stupid enough to believe that the stone she'd planted in Elena's things had been the real one. The door opened and she plastered a sweet smile on her face, welcoming Stefan in with a whisper.

Not far from the Salvatore Manor, Elijah and Elena worked together on their plan. He'd sent word to Klaus to arrive tonight, and they would no doubt be graced with his presence within the next few hours. The moon was almost at its full, and Elena was assured that she had his word. All she could do now, was hope and trust that this Elijah was as good on his honor as the once she knew at home. A quick set of knocks on the barn door had her looking up quickly and cowering in the shadows as Elijah invited the new person in. "Miss Elena?" Mable's voice was a loud whisper, and relieved Elena stepped out of shadow.

"You came." She smiled, comforted to see her only friend.

"I did. It wasn't hard to get away, everyone in the house seems quite distracted. The men are all hurrying about and yelling about vampires. I even saw them take away Miss Katherine."

Pain clutched around Elena's heart like a fist as she realized what night it was. Not only was it the full moon sacrifice, it was the night that Damon and Stefan died. She hoped that he had drunk Katherine's blood, and she hoped that he did not remember her. "Did you cast my memory from Damon?"

"There was no need Miss." Mable said, clutching Elena's pale, shaking hands in her own dark skinned ones. "She made him forget for us."

Elena nodded, hoping that once Damon was brought back, the compulsion would still be active on him. She knew from Caroline's experience that once you became a vampire, past compulsion wears off after a while. She just hoped that Damon's was a while enough for her to get out of here and back to her time, if there even was a time for her to go back to. "Let's hope this plan doesn't end the way the rest of them do." She muttered, turning to Elijah.

"Everything is ready." He nodded, sliding the white oak stake into his jacket and holding out his arm to her. "Are you?"

She glanced at Mable, then back at him. She'd been through the ritual sacrifice once before, what was one more time? "I'm ready."

_a/n: I feel I am spoiling you all with these new frequent updates, but I just want to write the ending of this story so badly that I cannot help it! Another long chapter. I'm thinking I might be able to round all this up in a few more. Nothing like good drama to get the blood pumping! _


	10. Double Death of the Dearly Departed pt 1

_a/n: we're slowly getting closer to the end. See the chapter title? Just what do you think it means? Part of the answer is just below….Happy Reading_

Chapter Ten- The Double Death of the Dearly Departed pt 1.

1864

Elena had looked into Klaus's eyes before, and the only thing that kept her from staking him then and there was the hope that tonight would be the last time she would ever have to see him again. Everyone was in their places; Klaus and his witch at the altar, Elijah with his arm around Elena's neck as if he was trying to keep her from running away. They'd already handed the fake moonstone over, unknowing that it would not work. Mable stood hidden a few feet away in a clove of trees, ready to do her part once the plan was in full motion. The other two sacrifice circles were empty however, and that worried Elena a bit. Either Klaus didn't have a werewolf or a vampire to sacrifice, or he was still waiting for them to be delivered.

Just as the head Original stepped forward to talk to her, a man in a suit came rushing up to him. Elena couldn't help clinging to Elijah's hand, wondering what was happening now. He smiled down at her reassuringly and she relaxed a bit. Even though this was not her Elijah, something about him made her feel safe. Or at least safe enough not to break his hand. Klaus roared, his temper getting the best of him as he back handed the other man to the ground. "I have to do everything." He shouted, stepping over the body.

"What is it brother?" Elijah asked, stepping forward slightly, almost protectively over Elena.

Nicklaus seemed to enraged to notice. "They cannot seem to find her."

"Find who?" Elijah's eyes narrowed, this time it was his hand that tightened on Elena's.

"Katerina." He spat and kicked at the unconscious body at his feet for good measure. She seems to be in hiding somewhere."

"I gave Katerina my word we would not harm her." Panic seared Elijah's voice, but his older brother paid no attention.

"I don't forgive Elijah, and I don't forget. That bitch owes me a sacrifice, and human or not, she will give it to me."

Elena gasped, barely recognizing this nearly inhuman villain before her. The Klaus she knew was evil, but he was cunning and charming about it. He would never drain or kill you without first smiling and asking politely to be invited into the house. This Klaus however would simply break down the door without blinking and throw you against the wall. He downright terrified her, there would be no reasoning with this man, and there would definitely be no escaping him without dumb luck or either killing him in this time.

"I made a promise, she has my word."

"And she can keep it, all she wants after she is dead." With that final oath, he rushed off into the night in search of his vampire.

Boarding House

Damon found himself in the library with Elijah, Rebekah, Alaric and Bonnie. It seemed lately that his house, that this room was Scooby Gang central. They were all talking intently, staring down at the note that had arrived this morning. It had been passed back and forth between hands quite a few times in the past twenty minutes, and at the moment rested with the writers brother Elijah held it up, speaking clearly to everyone around him. "My brother is serious, I am sure of it."

"What exactly do you believe he intends to do?" Alaric asked, his tone wary. Damon knew that his friend hardly trusted the Original vampires that had worked their way into the group, but they were the best shot they had at finally beating Klaus.

Elijah looked down at the note, reading the familiar script.

_Tonight is the night. Either the doppelganger is turned over to me, or you will all be killed. What would you prefer? She comes home now and has a chance to say goodbye…or she simply returns home and finds she is alone? Make your choice wisely…tick tock, tick tock._

"Does he not understand that we can't bring her back?" Bonnie asked furiously, part afraid, partly pissed off.

"He does not believe that we would all risk losing her forever." Damon paced back and forth in front of the bookcase, sitting down only when Caroline and Tyler entered the room. "He is not welcome here."

Caroline scowled at her ex-boyfriend, clutching his hand tightly. "We can trust him."

"The hell we can!" Alaric said a little too loudly, looking at his former student. "No offense."

"None taken." Tyler nodded, stepping forward as if offering himself. "Caroline's father taught me a few things before he died. I've broken the sire bond with Klaus, I'm free."

Damon watched as the two lovebirds exchanged gooey smiles and ignored the sick sense of loss and guilt. What he wouldn't give for the change to hold Elena's hand and have her look at him like that for even a moment. "I don't believe it."

"It's true." Caroline promised, her eyes pleading with him. "Please Damon, let us help."

With a sigh, Bonnie threw up her hands. "Oh, let him stay. How much worse could it get?"

As if on cue, Stefan appeared in the doorway. "I'm sure it could get a lot worse."

1864

Stefan and Damon crouched low as they watched the men prepare to take the carriage Katherine was in to the church. "Go around that way. I'll distract them. Go." Damon nodded and took off as Stefan stepped out of hiding. "Over here, there's another one. Quick, help me!"

"Arm yourselves." Damon heard one of the men say, stepping from behind a tree when most of them had run off.

There was a young guard holding the keys and Damon quickly knocked him unconscious with the butt of a gun. He crumpled to the ground and Damon hoped that he was still alive. He'd had enough with killing, enough with the violence. That's why he'd left the army…yet here he was, in the midst of a new battle. Forcing any thoughts other than Katherine from his mind, he dug in the man's pocket for the keys as Stefan ran up behind him. "We don't have long." Stefan said, helping his brother open the door.

"Katherine." Damon looked through the darkness, seeing her beautiful face locked.

Together they got her out of the carriage and carried her to the ground. With shaking fingers Damon unclasped her muzzle and untied her hands. "We're going to get you out of here." He promised, looking down at the half conscious vampire.

"Damon hurry." Stefan warned, hearing the men approaching quickly. "Hurry." They finally untied her hands, and then it happened. An instant later, a gun shot rang out and Damon was thrown onto his back. "No!" Stefan moved to him quickly, not sure what to do. "No…Damon."

He watched the life drain from his brothers face, as death took the last words before they could even be spoken. Enraged and heartbroken he jumped over Damon's body, reaching for gun but it was too late. Another shot rang out and he felt the white hot searing pain rip through him. It burned and he fell back, looking between Katherine and his brother. Damon lay cold, not moving, not breathing. He'd lost his brother, his best friend and now he was about to lose the one woman he'd ever loved. "I love you Stefan." She whispered, before the men ascended on her and locked her back in the carriage.

The last thing he saw before the darkness took over was her face as she clung to the bars of the carriage as it pulled away.

Boarding House

Damon awoke in a cold sweat, clutching at the invisible scar of his final wound. It had been a long time since he'd dreamt of the night and he didn't like relieving it. Once was enough. The sense of dread, the sick nausea of remembrance was there like an old, unwanted friend…but this time there was something else. Something different. Relief rushed over him as he realized fate was stealing dealing the original hand. As long as nothing interfered with his final transition, Elena would have a Damon to come home to.

1864

Later, Katherine returned; freed thanks to the exchange of the moonstone. She knew that she would have to hurry, that George had got her carriage but that it would not wait forever. With her skirts clutched up in her hands she ran to where the brothers lay dead, and crouched next to Stefan's body. There was no pull for her to even glance at Damon, and while she felt slightly guilty she couldn't help reaching out to caress Stefan's face. She knew that her blood ran through him, knew that soon he would wake up and transition into a vampire. She knew that he would find her again one day, or that at least she would find him. "I love you Stefan. We'll be together again, I promise."

Slowly she bent down, pressing her lips to his. She didn't know how long it would be before she saw him again, before she kissed him again. Time was running out though, and she knew she had to get out of this town or there would be no chance of a future where she could be with him again. Katherine was halfway to the carriage, to George when he suddenly disappeared. It wasn't as if he'd turned to thin air, but more as if he'd been grabbed. She froze in place, listening carefully to everything around her, but before she could run again, two strong arms wrapped tightly around her and a hand clapped over her mouth.

Her scream was muffled, and she tried to fight but it was useless. Whoever was holding her was much stronger, much older than she was. Her blood chilled as he bent to whisper in her ear. "Katerina."

_a/n: hope this chapter was worth waiting for. I've been a bit busy with life and work so it's been hard for me to get to my computer. Heck, there are still emails I haven't replied to, but I know how important this is for all of you, and to me…so there you go. I can't promise pt 2 will be up in the next few days, but it will be before next weekend. _

_So, 1864 Damon is dead, but he will not become a vampire until Stefan forces him to drink…so do you think the ceremony will affect that? And if so, will Damon survive long enough to transition? Just when you thought we were safe hehe_


	11. Double Death of the Dearly Departed pt 2

_a/n: there are quite a few ways this could go, especially with the fact that in 'real time' the coffins are open and the Originals are awake. I wrote Elijah into this story because I simply love him so much, and Bex is pretty freaking hot. Now, I thought long and hard about the other Originals, but with everything going on, and my previous lack of mention about the coffins earlier in the story…I am leaving that out of this. I planned the deaths to intently to change the ending now. Hope you're all okay with that _

Chapter Eleven- The Double Death of the Dearly Departed pt 2

Boarding House

Damon looked down at the journal in his hands. One last entry, that's all he had left to read. For all he knew this could be the last words that he would ever hear from her again. For all he knew, she was already dead. The last dream Elijah had stopped before the ceremony had begun, and there was no telling what had happened next. He'd caught a few hours of dreamless sleep, which told him that his 1864 body was still in limbo between human and vampire. For the moment he was safe, for the moment he didn't have to worry about disappearing. Stefan would have to force him to drink, have to force him to transition. As Damon opened the journal to the last marked entry, he sighed.

_ Well, we lost. Mikeal is dead, the weapon is destroyed and Klaus is still alive. I killed Rebekah tonight, stabbed her in the back with a dagger. I still feel awful about it, even though I know it had to be done. All of this, we did all of this to save me, to save Stefan…and for what? Stefan doesn't want to be saved, and I certainly don't want to watch anymore people I love die. I was this close to losing Damon today, so close and it terrifies me. He was so angry tonight, I don't think I've ever really seen him that angry. Of course he deserved to be, but was it so terrible that all I wanted to do was put my arms around him and hold him until the pain went away?  
><em>_ Stefan's run off again. Who knows where, and frankly at the moment- who cares? It's apparent that he doesn't care about me, about anything. Yet, I still have this overwhelming urge to save him- to bring him back to me. Can I honestly say that I will be with Stefan again, even if he flips the switch back on and resumes his bunny diet? Can I stay and love someone that's done so many terrible things? And what does that say for Damon? He's killed Jeremy, he nearly got Bonnie killed. Neither of them are good for me, I know that. I can sense that…but that doesn't stop me from loving them. From loving them both.  
><em>_Katherine was right, and that kills me inside. I do love them both, but what I have to come to terms with, is who do I love more. There is only one person that you love the most…and after everything that's happened the past few weeks, I just don't see it being Stefan anymore. I just…can't picture myself with him. Albeit, the future is foggy when I try to see myself with Damon, but at least with him I know that I will be protected. I know that I will be loved. Tonight, I was so close to crossing the line. With my hands against his face, tasting his breath, feeling the warmth of his body…it was impossible to let him go. Impossible not to kiss him. The only thing that kept me from making such a foolish move was the call from Katherine.  
><em>_Wouldn't she be interested to know that her very actions stopped me from becoming like her? I have to distance myself from Damon…I have to. At least a bit. I can see now, that I love him too much not to._

So, she'd finally said it, admitted it, realized it and accepted it. Too bad she wasn't here right now for him to reciprocate. His first instinct was to be angry, to throw the book and drink a tall glass of whiskey. The girl he'd been waiting for had come to her senses, but she'd done it to a journal and she knew full well when she'd given it to him that he would read it. He could have been angry that she'd chosen to tell him this way, but he refused to let the anger get to him. He could have been furious that she'd chosen to sleep with him in 1864 instead of any other night before she was sent back, but he didn't. He would not spend his last night without her, being angry. Klaus was coming tonight, and while they had no real plan, Elijah had begged them to trust him.

He knew something, Damon was sure of it. This was too much to risk all of their futures on. For a moment he looked down at the journal, weighing his options. He missed her so damn much, too much for his own good. Like a foolish, love sick teenager he held the book to his chest before setting it on the coffee table and walking out of room. Elena would come back to him, and it would be tonight. He had to believe it, he just had to. Another day without her, and he knew he would go insane. Especially now that he knew she'd been aware of her love for him for quite a while now. Even after Stefan had returned, even after all that had gone on, she'd known since before Christmas how she felt.

The realization shook him a little, and he remembered the last time he'd talked to her. Sitting on her bed, she'd told him she loved him, taken his ring and an unspoken promise had been formed. She would come back to him, and she would be his. That was all he had to hold on to, but it was enough.

1864

Elena looked up at the first sounds of screaming. It was her own scream, she recognized it; but knew that it was coming from Katherine. Klaus had gotten her, and he was bringing her back to sacrifice her. Elijah had not moved from the spot where he'd been standing an hour ago when his brother had stormed off, but now he looked down at her, holding out his hand. She took it, allowing him to pull her up from the ground. Even though she knew it was futile she shot a look back into the trees where Mable stayed hidden. She said a quick prayer that Klaus would continue to stay too wrapped up in his anger and frustration to notice that they were not alone. Off in the four corners of the squared off section of land, Klaus's young guards came to attention, along with the witch he'd gotten on his side.

Elena had wondered if she would be able to get her attention, but the woman had never made eye contact with her, and seemed to be loyal only to Klaus. She never even spoke to Elijah. She would be no help at all. As Klaus and Katherine came into view, Elena stepped close to Elijah. "Still got it?"

Elijah nodded, patting the outside of his jacket. "It's right here. Are you sure you're ready to go through with this?"

"I have to." Elena nodded, stepping into the circle Elijah had directed was her own. She brushed the dirt from her skirts, looking up as another man dragged in a half conscious George Lockwood. She gasped, recognizing the strong facial lines he shared with Tyler, recognizing him and realizing that Klaus now had all three parts he needed for the ritual.

Klaus easily tossed Katherine into her circle, barely mindful at all of her kicking. Her features quickly turned from vampire back to human as she caught sight of Elena. "I see you stepped right into my plan." She smirked, massaging her arm where Klaus had been holding her tightly.

"Oh, do shut up Katerina." Klaus sighed and motioned for the other man to bring George forward. "Set him over there."

The man nodded, dropping the half awake werewolf into his circle. With a delighted smile on his face, Klaus clapped his hands together, suddenly a delighted child that had been given all his play things back. "Brother," Elijah stepped forward. "there is one missing piece to your puzzle."

Elena watched as Elijah slipped the moonstone from his pocket and handed it over to his brother. "Ah yes," Klaus smiled, and for a moment Elena was reminded of the charming man from her time. "I can't believe, I almost forgot."

He brought it over to the witch, and Elena stepped back slightly as the ritual began. The first time around, she'd been terrified and curious. This time, she knew what was coming, what to expect; so now she was simply worried about the next step of the plan. Her lack of concentration on the alter and Klaus allowed her to catch the quick smirk on Katherine's face as the spell was begun and failed instantly. Quickly, Elena put two and two together, finally getting her first good look at the stone she'd found in her bag. It wasn't the moonstone at all. Surely, it was similar in shape and size, but it couldn't be the same one. No, that one had fallen out of George's pocket when he'd been tossed into the circle.

Unfortunately for all of them, the fire had just risen up around the circles, holding each sacrifice in place, including Elena. She looked desperately at Elijah, motioning with her eyes. He surveyed the scene quickly, moving from his protective stance next to her, to cover George from his brother's furious eyes. Klaus knew that something was wrong, and from the way he was looking at Elena, he must have decided that it was her fault. Finally, the familiar sensation of fear caught her and she shuddered, watching the less than pleased Original step forward.

He braced against the pain of fire as he reached into the circle and pulled her out, his hand tight around her throat. "Where is it!" he demanded, squeezing a little more.

Elena opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She couldn't talk, and she couldn't breathe. She glance at Elijah for help, saw his step forward before her eyes closed and darkness invaded her senses. She felt the sick feeling of being dropped to the ground, her last thought of Damon before the pull of unconscious sleep took over.

Boarding House

Damon paced back and forth in the study, waiting for Elijah to awaken from his nap. He liked it a lot better when he was the one having the dreams. At least then he got to see Elena, at least then he didn't have to wait around like a hopeless idiot, praying every second that his new partner wasn't about to wake up and tell him that she'd died. Soon, Elijah's eyes opened, and whilst they weren't entirely pleased, they weren't screaming intense disappointment. "I lost the connection, I'm sorry."

Damon waved his hand impatiently, walking to the new bar he'd set up in there and pouring them both a drink. "Never mind about apologizing. We both know we can't control the memories. Just, tell me what you saw."

Elijah recapped the latest memory, stopping at where Klaus had released Elena outside of the circle once she'd passed out. "She is not dead Damon. Klaus would never risk killing her this close to being free of his curse."

"Well what then?" Damon shouted, setting the now empty glass on the rolling cart, causing it to shake. "What are we supposed to do? Just sit around and wait for your brother to come knocking down the door and hope that whatever plan it is that your 1864 self and Elena have conjured up goes through?"

"Yes." Elijah hadn't touched his drink yet, but the sudden realization of how close all this was to coming to an end hit him and drained the glass. "My brother will not live to see another full moon Damon. Whether we finish him in this time, or Elena and I do it in 1864, we will succeed and she will come back to you."

Damon allowed himself to find comfort in the Original's words. He had to, or else he would go crazy. "I hope, for all of our sakes that you are right."

1864

When Elena awoke a few minutes later, she opened her eyes to near chaos. Klaus and Elijah were in the middle of a fight of wills and Original strength. George was now fully alert and sitting up, shouting at Katherine over the flames and the shouts. Katherine was trying to find some kind of escape, and telling George to keep quiet. He seemed more interested in getting away then keeping the real moonstone hidden. The witch was still at the altar, watching everything calmly. Wasn't it her duty to restore balance? And yet she just stood, waiting for the next order from Klaus. Either she was weak and had been compelled, or she was foolish and believed he would not kill her the second he was done with her.

Elena glanced toward the trees, seeing Mable still hidden in the darkness. The women exchanged smiles, their plan quickly adapting to the new situation. The first plan had been for Elijah to dagger Klaus in the back as he fed from the first sacrifice during the ritual, but now they had an even better distraction. Just as Elijah had gotten to his feet, Klaus knocked him to the ground again, and Elena caught sight of the white oak stake as it rolled dangerously close to Katherine's circle. The women exchanged glances, Elena's warning as she watched Katherine reach through the flame from the weapon.

Ignoring the skirts, she lunged forward, grabbing it before the vampire could reach for it. "I don't think so." She spat, glaring at her doppelganger.

"Who are you to tell me what to do?" Katherine asked, standing back and crossing her arms.

"I'm the one that's going to save your life, now you're either going to help me tonight or we're going to have to go through the next hundred years until we find ourselves trapped in another night like this. Personally, I don't really want to go through this for a third time."

"I don't care if you die." Katherine said, glancing over at Klaus and Elijah.

"But you do care if Damon and Stefan die, which is exactly what will happen if you don't help me."

Katherine hesitated, lowering her voice as the brothers stood, glaring at each other; their fight seemingly over for the moment. "What is it you need me to do?"

_a/n: nice long chapter for you all. Some of you were saying that you would like it if Katherine died, well I'm sorry to say that I just can't do that. Killing her in this time will affect too much of the future timeline. Without her, Damon would have died the night of Homecoming…and that's just one example. Plus, I really love her character. Hope you're all still out there reading and anxious for more!_


	12. Double Death of the Dearly Departed pt 3

a/n: so, i've been using flashback scenes for reference of what happens after the brothers are shot by their father. It's been a wonderful help and I know for a fact I would be completely lost in this story without them. For this chapter I will be adding in a scene that didn't air, but Damon talked about after Stefan woke up in1x20. I promise you, it's all as logical and canon as possible while working for this story.

Otherwise, all the Elena/Elijah moments are my own of course. Happy Reading.

Chapter 12- The Double Death of the Dearly Departed pt 3

1864

When Damon opened his eyes, he nearly cried out in pain. The deep searing heat from the gunshot wound still radiated through his body, but he kept silent. Sitting up quickly he looked around. Stefan was next to him, seemingly asleep in a slumped position against the old porch they were both currently resting on. He looked around, his eyes attempting to see through the darkness. He felt weak, but alive and slowly pushed himself to his feet. As far as he could tell, there was no one around. He didn't want to think about what happened, he didn't want to remember.

He only wanted to see Katherine. Judging by the position of the moon he took off in the direction he believed Fell's Church was. Blood rang in his ears, each step causing a sharp pain to shoot through his body. He didn't notice that the wound had healed, he didn't notice that he was no longer bleeding. He only noticed that he was slowly getting closer to Katherine. He stumbled slightly as the toe of his boot caught in a root, and reached out to brace himself against the tree. There was no going back, there just wasn't. Not now, not until he saw her for himself.

A few more minutes and a hundred more steps lead him to the sound of a rumbling carriage and shouting men. His head spun slightly and he weaved between two trees, wrapping his arm around a trunk to stay standing. His eyes closed for a moment, just a moment and then he saw her face. Her smiling face as she kissed him, her face all locked up as he and Stefan pulled her out of the carriage. He saw her tear filled eyes as he left the bedroom. Shock had him opening his eyes again as he shook the foggy memory away.

Katherine did not cry, and he'd certainly never left her in such a state. The men pulled open the doors and began dragging the vampires out one by one. Two men for every monster. Damon held onto the tree tighter, not noticing how the bark cut into his hands, not noticing that he healed almost immediately. More thoughts, more flashes of confusing memories hit him as he looked through the trees hoping to see Katherine. A woman with a muzzle like he'd undone was carried out of the carriage, but he didn't get a perfect look of her as he remembered Katherine falling down a hill and into his arms. No, it wasn't Katherine- was it? It had to be? He shook his head and looked back up.

Jonathan Gilbert closed the door of the church and took the torch that was handed to him. Damon watched with wide eyes as he set the building to flame. There were no screams as he thought there might be, instead deafening silence pounded his ears and he slumped against the tree. He was too weak, too tired to be standing anymore, and it was too late. Katherine was dead and there was no way to get her back. All he had left was Stefan, and so he turned from the heat of the flames and followed the path back to his brother, the sickest feeling of dread in his heart.

Boarding House

Bonnie jumped when Damon suddenly sat up from the couch, his hands clenched into fists. She'd never been his biggest fan, but these last few weeks had turned her hate to slight dislike to mild tolerance, so she moved next to him, awkwardly rubbing his back. "What is it? What did you see?"

He looked for a drink, wanting water but settling for the bourbon Ric handed him. They were all in the library, and once he'd felt the pull of a new dream he'd been unable to refuse it, hoping he would see Elena. "The night we were killed, I went to the church to find Katherine, but it was too late."

"That's old news." Stefan said, slightly bored from his corner as he lazily flipped through an old book.

Damon glared at him, not appreciating the martyr routine at the moment. "It was different this time. Katherine must have compelled me to forget Elena, and I guess it was starting to wear off. I kept remember things, memories I thought were all of Katherine but they weren't. I was remembering Elena."

"Good for you."

Another glare and Damon jumped to his feet. "Can it baby brother."

Ric stepped between the two Salvatore's before they could get in another fight. "What else do you remember?"

"Nothing." Damon answered through clenched teeth, allowing Bonnie to pull him down on the sofa.

A knock on the door had everyone looking up, expecting to see Elijah or Rebekah. Instead, Tyler leaned against the frame, arms crossed over his chest. He'd been working as a 'double agent hybrid' for the past few days, much to Damon's displeasure- but even he had to admit 'the dude' was on their side. "I have news, if the time is alright."

"The time is fine Tyler." Alaric motioned for him to enter. "Please, come in."

Tyler nodded, opting to stand beside the armchair instead of sit. "One hour." He said, looking directly at Damon. "That's how long you have before Klaus gets here. Elijah couldn't come to tell you himself, so he sent me."

"How do we know you're not lying?" Stefan asked, not looking up from the page he was currently pretending to read.

"You don't...but I'm all you've got."

"Thank you." Bonnie smiled, doing her best to keep balance between all the men. Without Caroline the past few days she felt helpless and quite the girl. At least they weren't expecting her to stay out of the battle tonight. "We will be ready."

Tyler nodded and turned to leave, looking back at Damon. "Look man, I know you miss her...but Klaus isn't going to be easy on you tonight. If you want her back, I suggest forgetting about her until all this is over."

"Thanks, man." Damon drawled, but nodded slightly at the hybrid. They would never be friends, but they had come to a seemingly even understanding.

When Tyler had gone and Stefan had returned to his normal statuesque silence, Alaric looked down at his friend. "I hope you aren't going to send me home. This asshole killed Jenna, and I won't be cheated out of my revenge this time."

Damon looked over at Bonnie and she nodded. "You have my word, no witchy traps."

Satisfied, Ric crossed his arms. "Let's get ready then."

Everyone, even Stefan went down to the basement. The dungeon that used to hold all the vervain had quickly become an armoury. Bonnie filled a bag with wolfs bane grenades; hardly new and inventive but there was no need to mess with a classic. Alaric loaded his crossbow and made sure that the case was full for reloading. Each arrow head was infected with a potent mixture of vervain and wolfs bane- the perfect combination to slow down a hybrid.

They knew to kill them it would require decapitation or fire, but the gang would need them weak before they could do either of those things. Damon shuddered slightly as he picked out a jewelled dagger and slid it into his boot. There were no magical properties to it, but it would do the trick in a moment if he needed a little help. His brute strength and speed was his real weapon, but it was stupid to go into this battle with nothing. Stefan pulled on a stake sleeve and slid his jacket over it, remembering how it had felt when Elena had stabbed him.

Both brothers exchanged a glance, an unspoken agreement that they both wished she was here was shared and they turned away once more. They were brothers and they loved each other, but that did not mean they had to like each other all the time. Stefan was well aware of the fact that as soon as Elena came home, she would not be running to his arms, and while he knew it was for the better, that didn't make it hurt any less. "I don't know what else we should grab." Bonnie said, slinging the bag over her shoulder. She had her spells for back up and the quick training she'd been put through these past few weeks with Damon and Alaric.

Alaric nodded and slid his crossbow into safety mode. "All we can do now, is wait."

1864

Elena really didn't know how this was all going to work. Klaus had finished beating his brother to turn on Katherine and demand from her just where the moonstone was. He'd already split Elena's lip open in an attempt to find the information from her, and when she refused, he'd dropped her back to the ground. The flames around her circle had yet to be reignited. Elijah came over and helped her to her feet, offering his blood to heal her. "No, but thank you." She smiled with slight pain and patted his arm. "Just in case I die, I don't want to go home a vampire."

"Of course." Elijah nodded and glanced at his brother. "Are you sure this is going to work?"

"Sometimes plans change." She whispered back, motioning for Mable to come out of hiding.

Klaus seemed to find that Katherine wasn't going to give him any information either, so he released her and stalked over to where George was laying, currently hiding the moonstone in his clenched fists. Elena knew they only had a few minutes and prayed that their back up plan was going to work. She felt the familiar scent of thyme in the air from when Bonnie had first performed this spell to send her back. This time however, it would not be Elena travelling through time; it would be the white oak stake. She felt for it again where it was hidden in her sleeve and said a quick prayer. She knew doing this would risk her being unable to ever go home.

Bonnie had told her in secret that once a witch performed this spell, she could not do so again. They had left his information out of Damon's knowledge to keep him sane, but now Elena had to take it into account. Was she really prepared to stay in this time forever? Could she live without her Damon and her friends? Never before had she felt this fear, felt this hesitation about saving everyone and risking herself, but in the moment she couldn't help it. She opened her mouth to tell Mable to stop, but a triumphant cheer from Klaus had her looking up.

"Poor dog." He said, dropping George Lockwood's dead body to the ground.

When he turned, Elena saw that his mouth was covered in the werewolf's blood and her skin turned cold. She clutched at Elijah's hand tightly, watching with wide eyes as Klaus tossed the stone to his witch. She caught it, placing it in the bowl and began chanting once more. This time, the bowl burst into flames and with a smile, Klaus bent over George's body, bringing his heart out through his chest. Elena and Katherine gasped together, catching Klaus's attention. With a non interested flick of his wrist, the Original turned to his vampire and sneered.

"Please Klaus." Katherine begged, stepping back in the circle, but only to cause the flames of her circle to jump. "Please don't kill me."

"It's your turn Katerina." He spoke smoothly, almost gently as he went to her, motioning for the witch to drop her circle of flames as well.

With no heat to warm anyone, Elena began to shiver, but she still noticed Elijah's sharp squeeze as Klaus offered Katherine his hand. "I won't die for you." Katherine spat, attempting to speed past him.

Klaus caught her by the hair, pulling her over to the altar stone and throwing her back against it. Elena heard the sick sound of broken bone and watched as Klaus thrust a stake into her back. It was a sick retelling of the sacrifice she'd already been through and for a moment all she saw was Aunt Jenna as Klaus killed her. She stepped forward, a scream on her lips but as Klaus raised the stake again to penetrate Katherine's heart, Elijah flew forward and threw his brother to the ground. "You won't kill her!" he shouted, taking the stake and stabbing his own brother with it.

The injury did nothing but immobilize Klaus for a moment, but it was a moment long enough for Elena to turn to Mable and shout. "Now!"

A small tornado of fog appeared a few feet from Elena and with a quick glance at the vampires around her, she pulled the white oak stake from her sleeve and threw it with all her might at the opening in time her friend had created for her. The fog spun faster, the stake disappearing into it and then suddenly it was gone. Elena watched as Mable sunk to her feet and Elena ran to her, checking her pulse the moment she reached the witch.

Thanking the heavens that her friend was not dead, Elena turned on Klaus and Elijah. Katherine was slowly pushing herself to her feet, her hand over the already healing wound at her back. The two women moved together, facing Klaus. "It's over Nicklaus." Katherine said, and then looked at Elijah. "Thank you, for saving me life."

"I love you Katerina, I always have."

Klaus opened his mouth to retort, but Elijah had already stepped forward to take her hands. He kissed each dirty palm and pulled her close. "You have?"

"Yes." His answer was simple, but it was all he needed to say.

Katherine allowed him to hold her for a minute before she stepped back, pain clearly etched on her face. "That was a long time ago. So many years have passed."

Elijah sensed her rejection and tried to hold it off. "I've waited for you, I've searched for you. Don't you see that? I did all this for you."

"I'm sorry Elijah, I care for you...but I love Stefan. I fell in love with someone else."

The pain was clearly etched on the Originals face and he stepped back as if he'd been slapped. "Go then."

"What?" Klaus and Katherine said together, both looking at Elijah as if he'd gone mad.

"We can go?" Elena stepped forward, placing her hand on Elijah's shoulder.

"That isn't really your choice to make brother." Klaus said, pain and anger in his eyes. "Do you not want me to be free?"

"Look around, it's over." Elijah hissed. "Wait for the next time Nicklaus. This night, is hopeless. Wait for the next full moon."

"You expect me to just let the doppelganger walk out of here?"

"For me, brother...I would expect you to do anything."

Elena held her breath, waiting for whatever the next move would be. She felt Klaus's eyes on her and saw his sick realization. Elijah would not allow him to kill Katherine, and if he left to get another vampire for the sacrifice, she would be long gone by the time he got back. "We will meet again, Elena."

"Oh, I'm sure of it." She said, not at all shocked that Katherine disappeared the moment everyone's attention was off of her. Once a coward, always a coward.

Elena glanced at Elijah once before she took off running into the trees. She knew that Katherine was well ahead of her but she didn't care. She just kept running and prayed that fate would be kind enough to let the stake find her Damon.

Boarding House

The living room was in complete chaos. Headless hybrids laid dead and burnt around the house as everyone fought. Damon kept his eyes on Klaus as he worked his way up to the main attraction. Hybrids seemed to come from everyone and even the momentary glance around told him that he would have to remodel once this was all over. He felt himself get thrown back as a Hybrid attacked from his left, but Stefan intervened before he could get bitten. The blood stained his already torn shirt and he cursed, pushing himself to his feet.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a blonde hybrid throw Bonnie against a wall, but Tyler quickly intervened and removed his head. With his attention back on Klaus, Damon pushed himself to his feet. The Original seemed unprotected at the moment, but just as he was about to jump for Klaus, the familiar scent of Thyme caught everyone's senses. Damon and Bonnie recognized it for what it was and quickly set their eyes back on the spot where Elena had disappeared from weeks ago. Klaus still stood, still alive- his eyes riveted as the small, fog tornado appeared before them all. Something long and white dropped to the ground and both men lunged for it.

Bonnie tapped into her powers and grabbed the stake with her mind, throwing it to the only person that didn't have his hands full. Alaric reached up into the air and grabbed it before letting out an almost war yelled and jumped over the body of a dead hybrid. Everyone watched as the stake was drove through Klaus's chest. The room seemed to freeze as Klaus's body erupted into flames beneath Alaric's hands. Then suddenly, there was no Klaus anymore- only a pile of ash and Ric standing there alone. Damon's eyes shot back to the spot where the stake had fallen, but Elena wasn't there and the smell of thyme was gone.

_a/n: well...there you go. The longest chapter yet. Hope you enjoyed it, or at least as much as you could. As we all know, it's hardly far from over. Will Elena get home? And if so, what does that mean for the past and the future?_


	13. The End in the Beginning pt 1

_a/n: so here we are, the last few chapters of this fic. I feel sad that it's getting so close to being over, but I know how badly you all want to know what happens with Elena getting home, 1864 Damon and if there is a baby or not. Well, the last question will not be answered for a bit yet but I will be answering the first two in the next two chapters. as always, the scene to shot parts are as word for words as I could get them in canon to mesh with the story. Enjoy _

Chapter Thirteen- The End in the Beginning pt 1

Boarding House

Damon had not left the living room since last night. He had helped clean out the dead hybrids and he had watched Alaric take Bonnie home safely, but he had not left. He wouldn't leave, he couldn't leave. Not until that ridiculous spell was finished. Elena would come back, he knew she would. Klaus was killed, it was all over and he didn't understand just what the hell was taking fate so long to bring her back to him. Was there some kind of unfinished business that she had to accomplish first? Or was it simply the fact that she had died and there was nothing to come back to him? Growling, and raking his hands through his hair he pushed himself up from the couch and stalked over to the bar. Half way through pouring a healthy sample of whiskey he stopped. If Elena came back, he didn't want her to see him drunk. He wanted to be awake and ready for her.

His patience was thinning quickly, and when the front door opened he looked up almost too expectantly. Stefan chuckled at the look on his face and closed the door. "Hello brother."

"Go away Stef." Damon's tone was dark, but he offered his brother the glass. "Here."

Stefan hesitated, sniffing the alcohol before drinking it down. "What's your problem?"

"What do you think?" Damon glowered, lowering himself to the sofa and settling his eyes back on the spot of carpet where Elena had disappeared from. Where the stake had appeared last night, where he was certain she would materialize if he kept his concentration locked hard enough.

"I was wondering…" Stefan began and shook his head. "nah, nevermind."

Over a hundred years with his person had taught Damon a thing or two, but this was pure brother instinct he would have spotted in 1864. Stefan was baiting him, and he knew it…and he fell for it. "What?"

Stefan noticed the cold hiss in Damon's tone and decided it was best not to push his buttons at the moment. Drawing out the torture was for other days, other things and he would have to wait for the opportunity. So, his brother was in love with his girl- except she wasn't really his girl anymore. No, that ship had sailed a while ago and short of drowning himself swimming after it…alright this metaphor was losing its wood. Bottom line, if Elena wanted Damon, and Damon wanted Elena he knew the honorable thing to do was step back. "You never asked me if I had any dreams, any memories. I was there in 1864 with you, remember."

"Of course I remember." Damon looked up, glaring at his brother, remembering every moment after he'd awakened and begun his transformation. He was angry, not just because of the memories, but because he'd been too caught up in it all to think of asking his brother. "Why, do you remember anything new?"

"Oh, so now you want to know?" Stefan did his best impression of a smirk and filled the now empty glass with some blood from the cooler beneath the bar.

Damon wasn't sure if it was human or bunny, and frankly at the moment he didn't care. "I'm not in the mood for your fake Rippah theatrics. Either spit it out, or get out."

Stefan knew what it was like to miss Elena, to love Elena and the hardness the knowledge of their kiss created softened slightly. "She's not dead, if that's what you're worried about."

Damon looked up sharply, his eyes finally tearing from the spot on the rug. "How do you know?"

This time, the smirk was almost dead on. "Let's just say, your baby brother had a dream of his own last night."

"Tell me." Damon glared, rising to his feet and rushing to his brother. The ache in his heart, the dread that he'd lost her forever was slowly driving him crazy. He felt his hand wrap around Stefan's neck as he rushed him against the wall. "Tell me!"

"I would if I could speak." Stefan croaked out, apparently lacking the strength human blood had given him. He managed to fight Damon off, but only because he allowed him.

"Back on your woodland creatures diet I see."

"That's none of your business." Stefan said, massaging his throat. "Now, do you want to hear this or not?"

1864

Elena kept running. Even the next day after she'd found her way back to the barn where she had hid with Elijah and caught a few hours of sleep, she'd run. The ceremony had begun at midnight, so by her best estimates she assumed it was late afternoon when she'd finally woken up. The bag Mable had brought her was still hiding there, and she wondered just how Katherine had managed to sneak in the fake moonstone. She changed into a fresh dress that didn't smell like fire and wasn't stained with dirt. She waited around, wondering if Elijah would return to her, but he never came. No doubt, he and Klaus were already on their way back to wherever they had come from. She would not think about the fact that she had not been sent back to her time yet, she couldn't think about that. She'd taken Damon's blood before Bonnie had sent her back so she would have an immortal tie to her time, and there were only two reasons she was still in 1864.

Either they hadn't killed Klaus, or Damon was dead. She shuddered at the thought and refused to believe it. The odds that the white oak stake had reached them was much less likely than the fact Damon was dead. That she was sure, she would be able to sense. Her thoughts drifted to the Damon of this time and wondered just what he was doing, what he was thinking and going through. Where had he been when Katherine had been taken and why had he and Stefan let her go? It wasn't like Klaus to be quiet and sneaky, especially not the Klaus of this time. In the few short hours she'd spent with him, she could tell that this Klaus had some serious emotional issues. That, or he was just going through a spoiled brat faze and was pissed his plan hadn't gone through. Choosing Katherine to be the vampire in his sacrifice and knowing full well that Elijah loved her hadn't been the wisest choice; but it had gotten her a escape and for that she wasn't complaining.

When the sun had begun to set and she was sure that no one was coming to look for her, she took off again. She managed to find her way back to the Salvatore Manor where Mable told her that Giuseppe had been found dead a few hours ago. Elena knew that it wasn't safe for her to be there, not when she looked like Katherine and the town thought that she'd been burned in the church, so she took off again. She ran until her feet couldn't handle it anymore and she ran until her was sure the tops of the boots she was wearing had begun to cut into her ankle. She wasn't even sure in what direction she'd run off to, but there was something pulling her through the trees. Something anchoring her to the ground, even as she dodged rocks and roots. That was when she heard it, the familiar sound of a vampire rushing close by her. She stopped dead in her tracks, knowing that it could only be one of three people.

Her heart sped up in her chest considerably and she began moving gently, quietly through the trees. She could remember the land now, though in her time it was a little more landscaped than this. She could hear the faint sounds of water, then the low, familiar voices of the Salvatore brothers. Damon had told her about this night once before, the part of the story that Stefan had left out from sheer self loathing. She knew exactly what was going to happen, and that she wouldn't be able to stop it. This was why she hadn't been able to return home yet, she prayed this was the reason. It was vampire blood that was connecting her to her time, and until fate was certain that Damon would become a vampire, it couldn't send her back until the timeline had played out as it had the first time.

She thanked the heavens that the ripple effect of her coming here had not ruined everything. The things that were meant to happen were still going to happen, and as long as Damon drank from the girl Stefan was currently offering to him, everything would be fine. "…I had to have it."

Elena crept closer, seeing the brothers more clearly. Stefan stood over Damon as he rested on the porch, the compelled girl sat between them, still as a statue. "You fed." Damon sounded weak, tired and slightly disgusted. She knew that he hadn't wanted this, knew that it was not his choice to be a vampire.

"Yes, and it's incredible." Stefan was full of adrenaline, and Elena could never remember seeing him like this before. She stepped closer, just barely hidden by the trees. "My body is exploding with power Damon," he continued, clearly overwhelmed with the transformation. "I can hear things from far away, I can see through the darkness, I can move like it's magic." Elena ducked behind a tree as Stefan came forward to get his brothers attention. Her heart clutched, this was the second time she'd seen Damon near death, and while it wasn't nearly as obvious this time she recognized the fear and the panic inside of her. "And the guilt! The pain, Damon! I can turn it off like a switch. Katherine was right Damon, it's a whole 'nother world out there."

Damon pushed his brother away, struggling to stand up. "Katherine is dead Stefan, there is no world without her."

Stefan reached out, grabbing his brother and holding him tightly. He was so desperate not to be alone, so desperate to have his brother he would say anything, do anything to keep them together. "You can turn that off to; you don't have to feel that pain anymore."

"I don't want it." Damon was not used to his brother being this strong and found it impossible to get away from him.

"You're weak, you'll be dead soon. You need this." Stefan's eyes turned pleading, and Damon's heart broke. He could not leave his baby brother alone, and he certainly didn't want to die alone. "You'll die."

"No, I can't." Damon shook his head even as Stefan turned to the girl and coaxed her forward.

"Please." She stood, deep in the trance Stefan had put her in, not even blinking when Stefan sunk his fangs into her neck. He pulled back to reveal the two drops of blood the wound he created released down the side of the throat. "I won't let you die."

"No, I can't." Damon repeated, images of Katherine haunting his brain. If he drank, he would have to spend the rest of eternity without her.

"Don't fight it; we can do this…together." Stefan was so desperate, Damon so weak that he felt himself slowly giving in. The smell of the girl's blood taunting him forward.

Stefan saw the submission in his brother's eyes, nodding slightly and guiding him forward. Damon moved slow, deliberately almost wondering if Stefan had compelled him a little. The girl didn't look frightened, but he knew from being with Katherine that there were ways to make the prey willing, almost aching to be drunk from. Katherine, he remembered Katherine. The way the sunlight warmed her skin, made her hair shine. He could picture her now, standing at the window, dismissing him with tears in her eyes. He could remember the pull to be near her, to need to stay with her…and then he remembered more. His lips inches from the wound, he froze, his brain desperately searching through the exhaustion and onslaught of death. There was Katherine, but there was someone else. "Elena." He whispered, quickly staggering back.

"Damon?" Stefan moved quickly, grabbing his brother before he could fall to the ground. "Damon?"

Elena heard the angst in his tone, watched it as it all happened. She knew that Damon was remembering her and wished that Mable had been the one to make him forget, wished that she'd never fallen down that hill into his arms to begin with. Katherine had made him forget, but she'd also made him remember through no fault of her own. As the compulsion wore off as he got closer to death, he was slowly going to remember every moment they'd shared together, including when they'd made love. She heard him whisper her name again, reaching out to grab onto Stefan's shirt. "I have to find her."

"Find who?" Stefan was confused, looking at his brother like a babbling food. "You have to drink, you're hallucinating."

Elena saw the dimness in Damon's eyes, saw the life slowly draining out of his body. She recognized it for what it was and couldn't stand to hide behind the trees and watch him die. Damning the consequences, she raced forward the few feet to him, ignoring the bewildered expression on Stefan's face. "Katherine." He breathed, moving slightly closer.

"Not exactly." She said, looking around for anything she could use to cut herself.

"Elena." Damon's voice was slowly getting weaker, quieter.

She crouched over him, closer to him and brushed a few girls back from his forehead. "I'm right here Damon, I'm right here."

"Where were you?"

"Its complicated." She smiled, pressing a quick kiss to his lips as her fingers wrapped around a rock.

"That's your answer for everything." He tried to laugh, but it came out in a weak excuse for a cough.

"You need to drink Damon." She said, gasping when she cut into her wrist with the jagged edge of the rock.

Stefan's eyes widened, the veins under his eyes darkening at the new scent of blood but Elena ignored him and cradled Damon's head in her lap, pressing her wound to his lips. "No." he shook his head once before the smell got to him and he tasted what had already dripped onto his lips.

"Drink Damon." She murmured, offering him more. Relief flooded her when she felt his tongue sweep across the cut. Then she felt the piercing of his fangs and cried out, knowing that she would have to stop him before he drained her entirely. Her Damon had control, had practiced for decades the art of drinking but this Damon was newborn and had no knowledge.

She let him drink until the strength in this grip he had on her arm began to hurt. He was already getting strong. She pulled away slowly, gently and prayed that he would let her. At first he resisted, his eyes opening to dare her to pull away until he saw the plead in her gaze. "Thank you."

She leant over to kiss him again, this time not as gently and not as quickly. "You're welcome."

The shocked look on Stefan's face turned to morbid curiosity and then to surprise as Emily Bennett came out onto the porch. "What is going on here?"

Elena looked up, recognizing a few facial features between her and Bonnie. She pushed herself to her feet, relieved to find another witch. "Emily, I'm Elena."

The witch looked at her carefully, her lips pursed in a thin line. "I see."

"I need your help."

Again Emily hesitated, but she nodded and gestured for Elena to follow her. "We can talk inside."

Damon could slowly feel the strength coming back into his system and sat up on his elbows. "Elena?"

"I'll be right back." She promised before disappearing from the brothers sight.

Boarding House

Damon was sure that if he still had to breath to survive, he would be holding it. "Do you mean to tell me, that you had a dream about Elena and you're only telling me this now!"

Stefan sighed, watching his brother pace furiously back and forth in front of the fireplace. "I think you're just mad it wasn't you that had the dream."

"Of course I am!" Damon growled, wishing he was holding something so he could throw it. "Why the hell would you get the memory?"

"Maybe because your very existence was in limbo and I was the only tie fate had to hold onto at the time." He offered, wondering just how long Damon would continue to stew for. "Are you going to let me tell you the rest of the story?"

With a huff, Damon set himself down in the chair, kicking his legs up onto the coffee table. His eyes landed on the carpet before focusing on his brother. "You're sure she's still alive."

"Damon, don't think if she was dead, at least one of us would feel it?"

Damon nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. "Alright, so what happened next?"

1864

The next time that the brothers saw Elena, Damon had nearly recovered completely and was well on his way to being fully transitioned. The connection between them now was only stronger thanks to the great amount of her blood that ran through his system. She knew that it had been a mistake, but she'd had to save him. In her short talk with Emily she'd managed to explain her situation without having to give too much away. The nice thing about talking to a witch was that they tended to understand the hard to understand. She'd agreed to erase the boys memories once she was gone. Then, everything should be alright according to the timeline that would lead her back to her Damon and her time. With that deal filled, Elena was sure that fate would allow her to return home, but even as she looked at Damon and Stefan sitting out against the lake, she knew there was something holding her back.

Emily's voice was soft, gentle and she found herself trusting it without really thinking. "You know Elena, the reason you haven't yet returned to your time is because your heart doesn't want to."

Elena sighed, leaning against the porch railing, her eyes connecting with Damon over the space of the grass. "Of course I do."

"Are you absolutely sure?"

Emily's words made her think, made her hesitate. A sweet smile came across Damon's lips and she found herself smiling back. It would be easy to stay here, stay with him this way. Things were simpler here, in this time. She would be able to spend the rest of eternity with him, share the expanse of decades and learn, grow, teach him things that would keep people safe. She might even be able to keep Stefan from becoming a Rippah, from meeting Klaus in the twenties. She could stop almost every death the Salvatore's inflicted, she would be able to change the future and make it a better place. There was a part of her that didn't want to go back to her time, to the fighting and the drama that was loving two brothers.

But, she didn't really love two brothers after all. She only loved one, loved the one that was smiling at her…but yet it wasn't really him. This Damon was not her Damon, and she needed to realize it. Her Damon was rash and rude, but he was sexy and exciting at the same time. He challenged her, made her better, made her strong. Without him, she would never have been able to get through her time here, she would never have survived the attack in the carriage or the second sacrifice. All this time, she thought that her trip back in time was to save her friends, save Damon, save herself from Klaus- but really it was to see that Damon had saved her, had protected her even when he wasn't there to do it.

"You promise you will make them forget?"

Emily knew that the girl had found her answer, knew that in a few moments she would be gone. "Yes. They will not remember unless you tell them to. If your friend is as bright as you say she is, Bonnie will be able to help you reverse the spell. And until then, they will go on with their lives as they would have if you'd never come here in the first place."

"Thank you." Elena smiled, stepping off the porch. She knew she had to leave, but she couldn't go without saying goodbye to Damon, this Damon.

"You're leaving." He said, meeting her halfway between Emily and his brother.

"I am, it's time for me to go home."

"What if I don't want you to go." He asked, his voice careful and quiet.

She felt her heart break slightly, felt the pull to stay with him once more. "You will see me again, I promise."

It took all her strength to step back, she smiled slightly as the scent of Thyme filled her nose. This time, it was for her. This time she was going home. "Goodbye Elena." He whispered, stepping forward.

She saw the look in his eyes, recognized it as the same one her Damon had before she'd disappeared from the living room. He wanted to come with her. "Goodbye Damon." She tried to smile, tried to hold in the tears, but it was too late.

She was glad that Emily would erase the memory of her from him. Fate allowed her one last look at him before there was a flash and everything went dark as time pulled her forward.

_a/n: so, I'm thinking two more chapters. I'm sad to see this come to an end, but I so desperately want you all to have the happy ending I can't help finishing it. Hopefully the muse will not make me wait too long._


	14. The End in the Beginning pt 2

_a/n: don't worry, I'm just as desperate for a Delena reunion as you all are. I won't torture any of us anymore Happy Reading…_

Chapter Fourteen- The End in the Beginning pt 2

Boarding House

Damon had listened to his brother tell him the memory, only remembering the last bit slightly as Elena had disappeared before him for a second time. He wasn't sure if he wanted to remember what had happened between them in 1864 or not, but forgetting would mean blocking out memories of her, and he couldn't bare to do that. He could remember Emily putting the spell on them, remember how he'd gone on with the rest of his life as normal. It had all led him to this point, this day, this moment standing in the living room waiting for Elena to appear before him. She'd changed history, changed him but he didn't feel the effects of that until now. The spell had done its job and only wore off when she wanted it to. That was why he'd had the memories slowly come back to him, why Stefan had only just begun having them.

No one understood exactly why Elijah had until he explained that he'd never been without the memories, only kept them secret knowing that one day he would need them to help the brothers defeat Nicklaus. They all stood in the living room now, waiting expectantly for Elena to return. Even Caroline had returned home from her father's funeral in time. Her hand was clasped tightly in Tyler's, just as Bonnie's was in Damon's. They had certainly bonded throughout the experience, and shared the same fear that Elena wouldn't return. It seemed like everyone held their breath as they waited, the living room still basically in ruins after the battle. Damon had righted a few of the tables and taken out the broken furniture, but he hadn't had too much interest in redecorating without Elena safe at home.

He was sure that Elena would be coming back anytime now as Stefan's dream indicated that the timelines were lining up again. Just as his hope was beginning to waver, Damon smelled the Thyme and felt Bonnie's hand tighten around his. He smiled down at her, glancing at Elijah. The Original only nodded, his eyes focused on the spot where Elena would appear. It seemed like hours before the now familiar haze of smoke appeared in the middle of the living room. Damon stepped forward on instinct, but Bonnie held him back until it cleared. Elena stood there smiling, looking like Katherine for almost a moment. She still wore the dress she'd changed into in the barn, and the ring Damon had given her. He noticed that, only after checking her over quickly to make sure she still had all her limbs.

Then Bonnie let him go and he crossed the few feet to her, pulling her into his arms and kissing her, not caring that everyone was watching. She gave a short laugh of surprise, but kissed him back; her arms around her neck as the held each other tightly. She'd spent time with 1864 Damon, but this Damon _her _Damon was the one that she wanted. The one that she missed. She hadn't truly realized how badly she'd missed him until she was in his arms, breathing in his scent and absorbing his very essence. The moment of reunion was broken slightly as Caroline fought her way into the hug, not so gently pushing Damon aside so she could get at her best friend. "Quit hogging her." She scoffed, hugging Elena tightly. "You get her all night."

Elena blushed at the thought, smiling at Damon over the blonde vampires shoulder before she was passed off to Bonnie. Elena knew that there would never be enough words to thank her witchy friend for everything she'd done, both literally and emotionally for her. She'd done so much more than save her life by sending her back. She'd helped her realize that she belonged with Damon and there was no longer doubt in her mind. She was surprised a moment later when she exchanged a tentative hug with Stefan that she barely felt anything at all. They smiled at each other and he gave her a quick nod before Tyler shocked her, grabbing her tightly and spinning her in a circle. "I'm so glad you're back."

"Really?" she laughed, her hands on his shoulders for a moment to steady herself.

"Yes, now maybe Caroline will let me get some sleep." Elena grinned, watching as her friend slapped his shoulder before she threw her arms around Alaric.

He'd been a wonderful makeshift father and while she didn't know what had gone on while she was gone, she could tell from the look of her 'family' that they'd managed to work together despite their differences. "Thank you for keeping everyone safe." She whispered, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

He grunted, shrugged a little but held her tightly against his chest for a moment longer. Slowly, Elijah stepped forward, extending his hand to Elena. She glanced at it, smiling before she hugged him as she had everyone else. He smiled, letting his hand lightly brush against her back. She looked almost exactly the same as the night of the sacrifice, yet so much time had passed- only it really hadn't. Shaking his head, he pulled back to look at her. "I hope you can forgive me for keeping all of this a secret."

"Of course." She smiled and squeezed his hand for a moment. "I could never have gotten through any of that without you."

Alaric shuffled everyone into the library, leaving Damon and Elena alone for a moment. When the living room was empty they simply looked at each other, smiling faintly. It was all over, finally it was all over. "I'm glad your home." He said, moving forward to take her hands.

He couldn't help feeling a little jealous that their reunion had been interrupted, but she had other people that missed her too. "I'm glad you're here to come home to." She whispered, framing his face in her hands. "There were a few close calls there, I was sure I'd lost you."

He'd thought of lying, telling her that everything had been alright, but this was a new start for him, for the both of them. "You almost did." He wrapped his fingers around one of her wrists, bringing it down to rest on the bare skin of his chest that the open v neck of his black sweater displayed. "I'm right here though, I'm real and you're real and we're here."

"Yes, we are." She grinned, stepping closer to him so their bodies were flush together. "How much…do you remember?" her bottom lip was got between her teeth, an obvious sign that she was nervous about something.

He knew it was the fact that she'd slept with him that had her worried and he tried to smile comfortingly. "Everything."

"Oh." The embarrassed flush disappeared from her face to leave her skin pale and he reached out, forcing her to look at him when she tried to hide.

"I'm not exactly…mad. Disappointed I guess that you chose him over me…but I understand. I always knew you would have liked me better in 1864."

She had to read his eyes carefully to see that he was teasing her, and finally she smiled. "I was so afraid you'd be angry."

"I'm sure you'll find a way to make it up to me." His lips turned to a smirk as he bent to kiss her, desperately wishing that the house was empty. "Want me to get rid of them?"

Elena started nodding, her hands already fisting in the fabric of his shirt. Really, what she wanted was to shower and eat before she even thought about another thing. He sensed her distress and gently pulled away, pressing a kiss to the inside of her wrist where he'd bitten just a few hours ago, her dirty palm and then the back of her hand. He was glad to see that the ring he'd given her had kept her safe. "If you want, I can distract them for a little while and you can go shower upstairs. Caroline brought over some clothes this morning. They're sitting on my bed."

She nodded and kissed him quickly. "Thank you." He let her get a few steps ahead of him before rushing around, blocking her path.

"Hey." He whispered gently, caressing her face, letting her hair fall between his fingers.

"Yes?" her voice shook a little, but he could tell she wasn't afraid.

"I love you."

Her smile widened and she pressed her face into his chest, holding him tightly- almost as if her life depended on it. "I love you too."

He released her then, heading to the library only when he heard the water turn on in the shower upstairs. When he reached everyone, he was instantly bombarded with questions as to where she'd gone. "I can't believe you let her out of your sight." Caroline exclaimed, trying to get past him out the door.

"She wanted to have a shower." Tyler countered, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her away from a glowering Damon. "You saw her, she looks like hell. Give the girl a minute to get used to her own skin again."

"More like her own time again." Alaric said thoughtfully, looking over at his friend. "Is she alright?"

"She seems perfect." Damon nodded, sounded relieved.

"Maybe we should all go." Bonnie said, standing up from the couch where she'd taken her usual spot. "Tomorrow we can all go for brunch."

"Brunch?" Tyler groaned, but let Caroline pull him from the library. Bonnie gave Damon a quick hug as they shared a knowing smile.

"I don't need to worry about her anymore after this." She whispered, her hand on his chest. "I know you'll keep her safe."

"I will." He nodded, turning to Alaric next. "Am I going to get the overprotective Dad speech now?"

Ric grinned, clapping his friend on the shoulder. "Hell, there's nothing I could tell you that you don't already know. See you tomorrow, tell her I love her."

"I will."

Elijah came forward now, extending his hand to Damon. "I appreciate you trusting me enough to let me help you with this. My dishonesty was for the greater good."

Damon nodded, shaking the Originals hand. "I understand, thank you for getting her back to me safely."

It wasn't until they were completely alone that Damon noticed, Stefan had a suitcase next to him. "I guess it's my turn."

"Where are you going?" Damon asked, stepping toward his brother.

"You two don't need me crashing the party." He said, his eyes flicking to the roof. The shower had just now shut off. "I'll be a call away if you need me."

Stefan reached for the suitcase, looking up to find his brother directly blocking his path. "You're going to find Katherine aren't you?"

"There's a reason Elena and I didn't work brother, and there's a reason the love you and Katherine shared didn't last. I'm just going to try and prove my new theory."

The Salvatore boys shared one last hug, thousands of words and over a hundred years worth of emotions all shared with one look. "I hated you for so long, for turning me into a monster…but without the curse of being a vampire I never would have found her."

"Everything happens for a reason Damon. You can't look at this and tell me you don't believe that anymore." Stefan said nothing else, and neither did Damon. The brothers departed in silence, knowing everything they needed to know instinctively.

When the house was empty, Damon took a deep breath and went to the kitchen. There wasn't much food left in the fridge thanks to the full house he'd been accommodating recently, but he managed to make a passable excuse for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and enough juice to fill half a glass. He passed right by the bar in the living room, knowing that everything he needed was just up those stairs in his bedroom. He hesitated on the last step, listening carefully for her heart beat. It was slow and even, telling him she was relaxed, but not asleep. No doubt she was tired, exhausted and more than worn out. Quietly, he stepped into his bedroom, spotting her sitting on his bed, wrapped up in his robe.

Her clothes were still sitting folded on the edge of the bed, but from the look in her eyes he could tell that she had no interest in putting them on. He saw her eyes dart to the sandwich and heard the low grumble of her stomach. She blushed a little, standing when he came closer and handed her the plate. "So much for the sexy angle I was going for."

"You're always sexy to me." He smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Eat, and I'll go have a shower. No doubt, I smell almost as bad as you."

She smiled and shook her head. "I don't care."

"I do."

Elena watched him disappear into the bathroom, heard the water turn on and then devoured the sandwich. She'd swore she'd never tasted anything better in life. The juice was gone just as quickly too and when he came out a few minutes later she was standing in the bathroom doorway, smiling at him. He'd meant to dry off and shave before he kissed here again, but she looked so damn good standing there in his robe with _that _look on her face. He couldn't resist her anymore, and he didn't want to. There was nothing stopping them, not anymore- so why wait one more minute. He didn't even reach for the towel, just stepped forward in all his glistening, wet naked glory and pulled her into his arms.

She gasped when he removed the robe; the cool, wet ends of her hair touching against her bare shoulders. Then she was being crushed against his body and he was carrying her to the bed. He didn't bother with pulling the blankets back, there was no time for that. Carelessly, she kicked her clothes to the floor, wrapping her legs around him and pressing their bare bodies together. There was a kind of frenzy passing between them as he remembered just how they'd been the first time. For him it had been a hundred years and a hundred women ago, but for Elena it had only been a few days. He felt ridiculous for feeling like he had to compete with himself, but as their skin seared together and he kissed the side of her throat, he fought to remember what exactly pleased her.

The memory slowly gained more ground as he thought about, smirking as the first pleased hiss escaped her lips. She was still tight as he slid one finger into her, feeling the wet warmth he was so desperate to be inside of. "Oh, please Damon." She gasped, her fingers tangling in his hair.

Everything seemed fairly smooth as they readjusted to each other's bodies. His fangs came into play as he kissed his way down her torso, careful to avoid her breasts. She felt the hot scraping sting, reveling in the pleasured pain. 1864 Damon had been gentle, where as her Damon was a perfect mixture of rough and gentle; exactly what she needed to prove to her this wasn't a dream. Her pulse quickened as his fingers began to move faster, the rush of her blood calling to him as he settled between her thighs, kissing over her stomach and hips. He wanted to devour every inch of her body, love every part of her. Her fingers ran over his shoulders, felt the strong muscles as he pulled her tight against him. He loved her touch, craved it, needed it and lost a little more control in enjoying it.

She whimpered beneath his body as he pressed every part of her to him, desperate for her release. She ached for more, for him and found herself demanding it. He leaned down to kiss her, swallowing her pleasured cries as she moved wildly beneath his hold. It was more than she could have imagined, remembering just how incredible being with him the first time had been. Practice certainly made perfect. She fought air into her lungs as he worked his kisses over her breasts, groaning as she wrapped her legs around his hips and rubbed against him. Each minute passed and made it harder for him to resist being inside her. With control he wasn't sure existed, he slid into her slowly, painfully carefully; allowing each muscle the chance to adjust to each other.

Then he pulled out altogether, and started over; this time much, much faster. She moaned his name loudly, her nails digging into his biceps as he began to thrust into her. She was better than any dream, any memory and absorbed every sound, every taste. This he would not forget, this he would remember forever. He pushed deeper, watching as she arched back for him, the long lines of her throat calling to him, her voice distracting him from biting her. They moved as one, breathed as one…and then they came as one. Clinging to each other, Elena finally got what she wanted and Damon got what he needed. They loved each other, words and touches made that clear now as they rode out the final aftershocks ok tingling pleasure together. "I love you." He whispered again, tasting the smooth peanut butter that remained on her tongue.

"I love you." She pressed kisses to his chest, finally home, finally safe.

_a/n: so….there you go. Basically the end of this fic. Don't want it to be over yet? Voted yes for the Delena baby and waiting to find out if there is one? Watch for the Alternate Ending/Epilogue chapter coming sometime this week. I am very seriously considering a sequel for this story, but that of course will only happen with your guy's support. I'd like to thank everyone that has reviewed, and even those of you that have taken this journey with us but haven't left a comment….now would be the perfect time to show your love ;) This was truly an incredible writing experience for me, and thankfully it's not over just yet…_


	15. The Sum of the Parts of the Whole

_a/n: I have to admit, that while writing this story I was very torn from the beginning as to which direction I was going to take it. This project was nearly scraped many times, but it was you guys that kept me going. Without your reviews I would never have been able to finish this. Then, came another dilemma; to baby or not to baby….So many of you had wonderful arguments for both sides and since I was torn it was wonderful for me to hear all of them. I didn't want to alienate those readers that clearly didn't want there to be a baby, and therefore ruin the ending for them, which is how this chapter came to be. You can view it as an alternate/continuation ending or simply an epilogue for those that voted no._

_After all, this would be their only chance to have a baby, and for me that's what it comes down to. For those of you that did not vote for pro-baby I hope you read this anyway and enjoy it for what it is; Delena fluff, because after everything they've been through, they deserve a little happiness._

_p.s. I'm aware that Meredith shot Ric in the last episode, but please try and ignore that for this chapter. I needed a doctor everyone knew for the hospital scenes. _

Chapter Fifteen- The Sum of the Parts of the Whole

Mystic Falls Hospital

Damon paced back and forth furiously in the waiting room. Tyler had tried to convince him to sit down a good hundred times, but he hadn't yet. "Why won't they let me in to see her!"

Bonnie sighed, pushing up from the cushy sofa to put her hand on Damon's shoulder. "There's complications. The doctors don't need you in there bellowing at them."

"I don't bellow!" he said, clearing bellowing.

Bonnie face flushed in relief when Alaric came running through the sliding glass doors. If anyone could talk sense into a distressed future daddy, it was him. "What's going on?" Ric asked, taking in the sight of Damon's distressed face and Bonnie's pleading eyes.

"They won't let me in to see her." Damon said through gritted teeth, his hands in tight fists at his sides.

Ric nodded and came forward, forcing Damon down onto the couch. "You need to relax, just a bit."

"I'm relaxed!" Damon shouted, only realizing that he'd been yelling when he noticed the looks on everyone's faces. This time when he spoke his voice was much more even. "I just want to see her."

"We know you do." Caroline reached over and patted his knee, doing her best to hide the fact that her hands were shaking. It wasn't everyday your best friend gave birth to a baby she'd been caring for 9 months, or 165 years- depending on how you looked at it.

There was a very real possibility that they could lose the baby, even Elena. There wasn't exactly a textbook you could study on how to deal with time travel pregnancies. Ric balanced on the edge of the coffee table across from Damon, catching his friends gaze. "We know you're terrified, and that's alright. Try to think about something else."

"Like what?" Damon spat, his eyes instantly apologetic.

Matt took this opportunity to make his presence known. "Tell us about the day she told you she was going to have the baby." He'd been around when Elena was back in 1864, but they'd kept him out of most of the dangerous situations since he was human. It wasn't a bad thing, as Damon liked to tell himself; it was more of a keeping the last normal thing about Elena's life alive and unharmed. He would never admit that he'd purposefully not invited Matt to Elena's homecoming because he was afraid she would see him and realize she wanted the normal life that came with being Matt Donavan's girl instead of this craziness that was being involved with the Salvatore brothers had thrown her into.

But she'd chosen him, chosen their baby and their life together. Damon looked around at their little makeshift family and felt his dead heart soften a little. He had to remember that he was not the only one waiting for the doctor to come out and give them good news. He owed it to them, to at least distract them a little. After all, without these people he wouldn't have Elena right now. "Well, as you know- I never thought I would get to be a father. I mean, I'd had over a hundred years to get used to the idea. Big Bad Damon Salvatore didn't need a family to complete him. That was the angle I was going for, but when Elena told me we were going to have a baby, everything changed. How could it not?"

_Eight and a Half Months Ago…. (Salvatore Boarding House)_

Elena gently closed the lid of the toilet and sat down, holding the test in her shaking hands. _This isn't possible…it can't be possible. _She glanced at the ruby stone of the ring that had been moved to her left hand. Her engagement ring. _Oh, please don't be positive. _Guilt racked her for thinking that, after all she was being incredibly foolish. Sure, she and Damon had been making love like crazy for the past two weeks, but that didn't mean she could be…pregnant. This wasn't Twilight for Christ's sake… Still, there was the chance, just the slight but very real chance that on her little trip through time she'd managed to bring back more than some new memories.

Elena was sure that she'd never sat through a longer three minutes in her entire life. Everything seemed completely still. Even the sound of the workers hammering and cursing downstairs was lost to her. The boarding house had been construction central since the afternoon they'd gotten home from brunch. A new beginning, a new couple, a new living room…and if this test read positive…well she and Damon could be adding new baby to the list of recent changes they'd made to their lives. She was sure that her heart was going to beat it's self right out of her chest if the damn test didn't gave her a answer either way soon. She thanked the heavens that she'd managed to sneak upstairs while he'd taken the opportunity to shout at a worked for accidently breaking a vase.

As if one vase really hurt the Salvatore fortune. She shook her head, unable to hide her smile. He was very stuck up about his family heirlooms sometimes, especially the rugs. With a frustrated sigh she set the test on the counter and pushed herself up, pacing back and forth in front of the mirror. Her reflection caught her gaze and she stopped, realizing her hand was over her stomach protectively. Slowly, she lifted her shirt and turned sideways, as if that would give her a clue. It was flat as it always had been. With a sigh she glared back at the stick, biting her bottom lip furiously. Damon could only rant for so long. She would not take her tummy doing somersaults as a clue, no; that could just be her nervousness. Another glance at her watch told her she had ten seconds.

_Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two…one. _Still shaking, she reached out her hand for the test, jumping slightly when Damon banged on the bathroom door with his fist. "Are you alright?"

He'd been a little concerned since she'd started throwing up yesterday morning. Thankfully, being a vampire didn't mean he was overly genius about things men normally missed and she'd managed to pass it off as the flu. "I'm fine." She called back, suddenly terrified to look at the small screen now.

The moment of a worried need to know had passed to frozen fear and she found herself staring at the door, the test still unread and clutched in her fist. She wasn't ready for this, they weren't ready for this. The panic begin to set in then and her stomach lurched in distress. There it was again, the nausea she couldn't control. Setting the test on the counter she bent over the sink, knowing there wasn't enough time to lift the lid of the toilet. Thankfully her hair was already up in a ponytail. Damon pounded on the door again, turning the knob to find it was locked. "Let me in!" he demanded through the polished wood.

Once Elena was finished, she rinsed out her mouth and quickly washed the sink. Hardly glamour and exciting. Hardly beautiful and thrilling. Her heart began hammering once more as she caught the reflection of the little stick in the mirror. She reached for the mouthwash on the counter, took a good swig and spit the awful taste from her mouth, hoping that the fear wound go with it. It didn't, but Damon was still banging on the door so she grabbed the test and unlocked the door. Damon lowered his arm, his eyes confused and worried. She felt the little twinge in her heart and bit her lip. How was she going to tell notorious bad boy Damon Salvatore that it was possible he could be a father? She'd never really considered having children with either of the Salvatore brothers since it had never been a possibility, but her time travel stunt certainly had turned the tables.

She wasn't sure she was ready to be a mother, although that's basically what she'd been for Jeremy for the past few years…and if she could handle a drug using, depressed, ghost seeing teenage boy; what couldn't she handle. Damon cleared his throat, seeing the emotions battle in her eyes, then he glanced down to see the tiny pink stick clutched tightly in her hand. A rush of adrenaline, of fear, of confusion blazed through him all at once and he stepped closer to her. "Damon," the tone of her voice had him stopping short, his fingers hovering in the air just before her face before his arm dropped down to his side. "we need to talk."

"I can honestly say, I've never had a girl say those words to me before."

She looked up at him, smiling slightly. His eyes were transfixed on the test and her heart dropped slightly. "Can we sit?"

"Of course." He guided her to his bed, their bed.

His hand was pressed to her lower back, but she could feel from the lack of usual pressure and the energy humming through his body he was trying very hard to control himself. "Come." She said quietly, smoothing a spot on the comforter beside her. She needed him close, she needed to feel his warmth, and dammit she simply needed to hold his hand when she told him this.

"Go ahead." He said comfortingly, unable to say more than two word sentences apparently. His voice already shook in fear at just those short phrases.

"We've never talked about this." She began carefully, gripping his fingers almost painfully between hers. She held onto him like an anchor, like a grounding to keep herself steady, keep herself sane. "I mean, it wasn't an option before, so why would we?"

Damon sensed that she was going to start mumbling and covered their hands with his free one, turning to face her. "Breathe."

She nodded, taking a deep breath and bringing the test forward, slowly opening her hand. As if fate was testing them, trying to kill them with anticipation, the tell-tale screen was facing down. A stay of execution as it were. "When I was afraid I was going to be a vampire, I told Stefan I didn't want to because I had so much more of my life left to live. I wanted to get married and have babies and grown old…well I've lived a lot since that day and while I'm not ready to give up my mortality, I'm not exactly ready for babies either."

"Babies." He said, the word sounding incredible foreign on his tongue.

"There is a very real chance that I could be pregnant Damon."

Finally saying the words brought both a sense of relief and a sense of dread to her. She desperately searched his eyes for any sign of emotion, her sliver of hope falling when he didn't move.

It seemed like hours later when he finally spoke, but it was probably only a minute. "This could be our only chance to…have a baby."

She nodded, wishing he would look at her instead of the stick in her hand. "Yes, I know."

"I never thought I would have this chance." His tone was detached and she felt her heart collapse when he stood from the bed, releasing her hand.

He moved to stand in front of her, looking at her like she was the answer to all his prayers. "Are you okay with this? To staying with me forever?"

"I agreed to marry you didn't I?" she said quietly, finally their eyes meeting.

"This is entirely different." He countered, bending in front of her so they were level. She felt the warmth of his skin when he set his hands on her knees. "This will change everything."

"We just found our way back together." She reasoned, as if all this talking would change the outcome a test they didn't even know the results to yet. "It's a big step, and one we didn't expect. I don't even know how I feel about it."

"I guess, we just look at the test and then see how we feel."

She nodded, knowing that he was right and that as long as they were stuck in limbo a decision could never be made. Slowly, she turned the test over her hand, realizing her eyes were tightly shut only when Damon caressed the side of her face. "What does it say?" she asked quietly.

Then suddenly her eyes were open, the test had been tossed to the ground and she was up off the bed and in his arms. "It says we're going to have a baby." He grinned, a real smile that warmed her insides.

Damon smirked and he laughed, but this genuine display of intense happiness was one of the most beautiful things she'd ever seen. "We're going to have a baby." She repeated, letting her tongue wrap around the words, letting her mind get used to the idea.

She split in half, partly terrified but mostly excited. It was hard not to be happy when he was so obviously pleased. "I love you." He whispered, kissing her gently.

Mystic Falls Hospital

Everyone knew that the first few months of Elena's pregnancy had been an epic war between the two and their internal desires of what they wanted, of what they'd been expecting their life to be. Damon had turned any fear he had into adrenaline for the remolding of the house and kept the construction workers on a few more weeks to prepare on the east wing rooms for a nursery fitting a prince or princesses. Once they'd gotten him talking about the past few months, Damon found it hard to stop. He kept his eyes on the clock, counting the seconds that passed while Elena was off somewhere in the hospital, fighting for something that he should have been in there fighting for with her. He'd already been threatened by security once and didn't want to risk actually being thrown out and missing the birth of his child, so he stayed in his spot on the couch between Bonnie and Caroline and kept up his storytelling.

Elena had already been in the delivery room for six hours.

_Three and a Half Months Ago (Salvatore Boarding House)_

Elena let Damon guide her through the hallways to the nursery he hadn't let her peek in on ever since he'd had the men start working on it. Even Caroline and Bonnie had been allowed to help, but not her. The hormones that were currently playing mind games on her body had allowed that fact to start quite a few good fights the past few months, but they'd always managed to make up…eventually. "Keep your eyes closed." He whispered in her ear and she felt him reach forward to open the door.

They shuffled forward a few feet together and she heard the faint click as the door closed behind them. She'd been good and kept her eyes closed, but when his arms went around her waist and his hands rested protectively around her belly, she couldn't take the anticipation anymore. "Please Damon?"

He chuckled, hugged her tightly and nodded. "Alright, open them."

First, he heard the relieved sigh, and then the delighted gasp as she took in the sight of the room. They'd decided to opt out of learning the sex of the baby until it was born- what was one more surprise- so the room had to be done for either way. The roof was painted a dark blue with stars, each wall a different color as decided by a overzealous Caroline and all the furniture was Winnie the Pooh. "It's wonderful."

"We can always exchange and redecorate after he's born." He offered, watching as she went over to the crib, running her hand over the smooth wood.

"You mean after she's born." They shared a knowing smile as he came over to her, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"Yesterday you were the one rooting for a boy."

She laughed as he knelt before her, gently lifting her shirt to kiss the revealed skin. "As long as our baby has your eyes I will be fine."

Damon shook his head, standing when he'd gotten his fill and pulled her tightly against him- or as closely as he could in her current state. "I think your eyes would suit him much better."

She laughed, pressing her face to his chest. "I guess we'll just have to wait."

Mystic Falls Hospital

The group fell silent for a few minutes. It was nearing one am now and Damon wasn't sure how many more stories he could tell them. They'd gone through the different cravings Elena had and the rather uncomfortable moment when Caroline blurted out a few sex questions that had Ric wishing he had a gun to shoot himself with. Mostly everyone else in the waiting room had cleared out and the nurses that had been on shift when they'd gotten there had switched for the night staff. By two am Caroline had fallen asleep, her head in Tyler's lap and Matt had passed out in a chair, snoring loudly. Alaric was fully awake however, a cup of steaming coffee in his hands, his eyes alert on the tv hanging from the roof. The volume was too low to really hear, but at least it was something to keep his mind off the girl he'd come to see as his daughter.

Ignoring the simple fact that she was the last real thing he had of Isobel to hold onto, he'd really come to love her since becoming her guardian. Again he checked his phone for a message from Jeremy, wondering just when the boy's was going to get her. Bonnie had excused herself from the group an hour ago to go pick him up at the airport. Now that Klaus was gone and everything seemed marginally safe in the town of vampires, werewolves and witches, it was time for the youngest Gilbert to return home. Slowly, all the loose ends were finding their way together. The only person that wasn't here or on their way was Elijah, and no one had heard from him since the brunch they'd all shared the morning after Elena had gotten home.

Damon cleared his throat, gently shifting off the couch and setting Caroline's feet on the couch. He wasn't quite sure how she'd managed to trick him into supporting her legs while she slept, but she'd done it. He made a quick gesture at Ric and they went away from the group. "I can't take this anymore."

Alaric smiled; his hand on his friends shoulder. "She's a few weeks early Damon, you know that. They're doing everything they can to make sure that they're both safe."

"I want to see her." Damon's whisper came out in a loud hiss, but he kept his tone under control as best he could.

Ric could tell that the man was going to explode soon, and he was seriously considering going to find Meredith himself when the familiar squeak of a nurses shoes caught their attention. Caroline's vampire ears seemed to pick up the sound as well and she sat up, instantly awake. With a quick kick at Matt's chair, she woke the human and they all looked expectantly at the pretty redhead in bright green scrubs. "Which of you is the father?"

"I am." Damon stepped forward anxiously.

"Elena's been asking for you."

"Of course she has." He pushed past the nurse, not waiting for her to guide him back down the hall, but simply picking out her scent through the normal tangs of the hospital. Faintly, he found the smell of her blood, sweat and vanilla perfume in the air, relieved when it led him right to her room. For a moment he just stared at her through the glass, taking in the sight of her. Her face was pale, her hair a complete mess, her eyes tired but she was smiling faintly and he found the strength to open the door and cross to the bed. She held out her hand for him, sighing when he bent to kiss her gently.

"You were wrong." She whispered, her hand cool against his face.

He watched her sleepy eyes close for a moment before she pointed to the glass window across the hall. "Help me up."

"Are you sure you should get out of bed?" he asked as she threw back the covers.

"I want us to go see her together." She said, motioning him to bring the wheelchair over.

"Her?" he whispered, as he helped her into the contraption.

She didn't speak again until he'd wheeled her across the hall and they'd found the baby wrapped in a pink blanket with 'Salvatore' written on the tag at the end of her crib. "I believe the last vote you chose was boy."

"That's hardly fair." He countered, looking down at the tiny life they'd created together. Sure, he'd only had to wait over a hundred years for both of them, but every moment had been worth it. "I thought we had a few more weeks to argue over the sex."

"Oh God, not more sex talk." Ric groaned from behind them, the rest of the gang behind them. "The nurse couldn't fight us all off." He laughed and Damon could only shake his head.

"Elena!" Jeremy's voice came down the hall and Elena turned around expectantly, her eyes searching for her brother.

Bonnie came into view first, but soon Jeremy moved through everyone to wrap his arms around Elena. "You're here." She whispered, unable to hold back the tears now.

"Damon called me and I got on the first flight."

Elena glanced over her brother's shoulder and smiled at Damon. "Thank you."

He only smiled, his hands aching to hold their baby. "When can we have her?"

As if on cue, Meredith came out of the bathroom, wiping her hands on a towel. "I told you to stay in bed."

Elena shrugged, not really much for listening to orders from doctors and reached for Damon's hand. "Can we see her?"

"If you go back to bed, yes."

Elena wasn't sure that a doctor could blackmail her like that, but she was feeling very weak and she didn't want to pass out in front of Damon. He didn't need to know just how difficult the last few hours had been on her body. At least not right now when he looked so happy. "Fine."

When Elena was back in bed and Damon had taken his protective place next to her side, a nurse brought in the little pink bundle. Damon wasn't sure how that tiny thing could be a person and he felt relieved when Elena held her first. He wasn't sure he could without breaking her. He'd never seen anything more beautiful in his life as her smile as she looked down at their baby. _Their baby. _ "What color are her eyes?" he asked, reaching out one finger to push the blanket back so he could see her face a little better.

"I was right about that too." Elena smiled and shifted on the mattress so she could pass the baby to Damon. "You're turn."

He shook his head, his body tensing. "I don't know. She's pretty, fragile."

"So am I." she smiled and tilted her head back against the pillow. "Don't worry, you won't hurt her."

Damon took the baby, cradling her in his arms and for a moment- one perfect moment he felt perfectly human.

_a/n: hope that managed to please you all. I wanted to get some of the pregnancy in there as well as the birth so I figured this was the best way to do it. I tried to make it as realistic and canon as possible and I hope that was obvious. I really loved the journey this story took me on and I wanted to thank everyone that reviewed and inspired me to keep going. _

_Of course, a special thanks goes out to ReadingisPassion2 for trusting me with her idea and letting me run with it. I know it wasn't exactly how you wanted it to go, but I pray you are still happy with it._

_The story took on a bit of a life of its own and demanded to be told this way. For those of you that voted no for baby Delena, I hope this put a smile on your face. I'm not certain what my next project will be or how long it will be till the sequel but I promise there will be more coming from me. As always, watch out for my oneshots and please let me know of what you thought of this epilogue. _


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